
flass ~R V 1 5 ? 

Book. .©fe 

Copyright W . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Manbbook for Sunba^» 
School Workers 



7 

y 

By REV. WILLIAM B. OLMSTEAD 

Editor of "The Practical Lesson? Commentary" 
on the International Sunday-school Lessons 



Introduction by REV. J. T. LOGAN 



W. B. ROSE, Published 
14 N. May street, Chicago 



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LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
TwoCepy Received 

NOV 13 {907 ' 

Copyrttnt Entry 

cZkYsA ^ No * 

COPYB 



Copyright, 1907 

BY 

W. B. OLMSTEAD 



PREFACE 

This book is the result of an earnest de- 
sire on the part of the author to furnish in 
a brief and yet comprehensive form a digest 
of the most important subjects upon which 
the busy Sunday-school worker needs to be 
informed. The standard by which workers 
and schools are measured is being raised 
each year, and to meet the increasing de- 
mand for information in a simple and con- 
venient form this volume has been carefully 
prepared. 

For a number of years we have been close- 
ly connected with Sunday-school interests, 
both in this country and in the Dominion 
of Canada, and have often observed the needs 
of the workers. We trust the "Handbook" 
will, in a measure at least, be the imeans of 
supplying these needs and of bringing those 
who study its pages into closer relations 
with God's word and the great Sunday- 
school movement. 



4 PREFACE 

We have endeavored to deal with the Sun- 
day-school question from a practical stand- 
point and to present those lines of work 
which have been found to be the most help- 
ful. W. B. Olmstead. 

Chicago, Illinois. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Bible - 9 

II. Old Testament Books and Writers 15 

III. New Testament Books and Writers 25 

IV. The Old Testament World 32 
V. Old Testament History 37 

VI. Old Testament History — Concluded 54 

VII. The Old Testament System of Wor- 
ship - - - - 79 

VIII. Bible Symbolism - - - 89 

IX. Palestine .... 93 

X. John the Baptist - 101 

XI. The Life of Christ - - - 104 

XII. The Life of Christ — Continued - 116 

XIII. The Life of Christ — Concluded - 125 

XIV. Paul's Missionary Journeys - - 138 
XV. Ten Points of Excellence - - 144 

XVI. Ten Points of Excellence — Continued 148 

XVII. Ten Points of Excellence — Continued 160 

XVIII. Ten Points of Excellence — Concluded 176 

XIX. The Sunday School Association - 188 

XX. Miscellaneous - 197 



INTRODUCTION 

The author of the "Handbook for Sunday- 
school Workers" has produced a volume of 
real merit. We have examined its pages 
and are confident that Sunday-school work- 
ers everywhere will appreciate the excellent 
service he has rendered them. 

This book is the result of years of research 
and of patient toil in the interests of Sun- 
day-school work. For a decade the author 
has been an editor of Sunday-school litera : 
ture, in which work he has proved himself 
a close and ardent student of the word of 
God. For many years he has been a success- 
ful minister of the gospel. This experience 
has made him thoroughly acquainted with 
the needs of those who are engaged in Sun- 
day-school work in its various departments 
and perfectly conversant with up-to-date 
methods in this branch of the Lord's vine- 
yard. In the "Handbook" he has brought 
a vast amount of very valuable material to- 



5 INTBODUCTION 

gether and placed it in convenient and at- 
tractive form for the ready reference of the 
busy Sunday-school worker, and at a cost 
so small that it is easily within the reach of 
all. The integrity and ability of the author 
is a guarantee of its accuracy. 

We heartily commend this volume and 
have no doubt it will have a large circula- 
tion, as those who peruse its pages will 
gladly recommend it to others. 
J. T. Logan, 
Editor of the "Free Methodist." 



THE BIBLE 

So far as is known there was no written 
revelation of God's will until the days of 
Moses. Before that time God spoke to man 
in a direct and personal manner. In this 
way instructions concerning offerings and 
sacrifices and the observance of the Sabbath 
must have been communicated at a very 
early time. 

The existence of the Bible as we have it 
to-day is the wonder of the world. When 
we consider how it came to be and the re- 
markable manner in which it has been pre- 
served, we are forced to the conclusion that 
it must be God's book and that 
He has brought it to us. 

Interest in the ordinary book is lost in 
a few years and its influence begins to wane, 
but interest in the Bible is increasing with 
the centuries and its influence is greater to- 



10 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

day than ever before. The Bible is the 
greatest book in the world. 

Infidels may sneefc at its sacred pages but 
in so doing they only show their own folly. 
Their sneer affects nothing. The Bible 
marches steadily on and now millions of 
Bibles and parts of Bibles are being printed 
each year and are being scattered broadcast 
over the world in hundreds of languages and 
dialects. 

The Great Output o£ Bibles 

The British and Foreign Bible Society 
alone, since its formation a little more than 
a hundred years ago, has issued two hun- 
dred million Bibles. In one year (1905) 
this society printed 5,977,453 copies in over 
four hundred languages. Then think of the 
many other societies and publishers engaged 
in printing Bibles, and some little idea may 
be had of the tremendous output of Bibles 
in the world at the present time. God's 
truth is marching on. Some one has said 
that we might as well attempt to put our 
shoulder to the burning wheel of the sun and 
stop it in its flaming course, as attempt 
to stop the spread of God's inspired word. 



HANDBOOK FOK SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 11 

Original Manuscripts 

As the languages of the world have 
changed, the Sacred Canon has from time to 
time been translated from one language into 
another. To trace the history of the various 
translations is an interesting and profitable 
study. It should be remembered that of the 
original manuscripts none are in existence. 
The so-called "original manuscripts" aro 
copies. So far as is known none of the docu- 
ments bearing the handwriting of Moses, 
David, Isaiah, Ezra, Paul or Luke have been 
preserved. But while this is true there are 
in existence at this time a large number of 
Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, reaching 
into the thousands, which were copied from 
the original by Jewish scribes. In making 
these copies the greatest possible care was 
exercised. It is said that every letter was 
counted and if even one incorrect letter were 
discovered the whole copy was rejected. 

Ancient Versions 

Among the ancient versions or transla- 
tions should be mentioned the Samaritan, 
a Hebrew copy of the Pentateuch, made be- 
fore the captivity of Judah, for the Samar- 



12 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 

itans; and the Targums, or "Explanations," 
made after the captivity, for the use of the 
common people. 
There are but two noted ancient versions: 

1. The Septuagint, a Greek version of 
the Old Testament, prepared about B. C. 285, 
at Alexandria, Egypt. This is said to have 
been the work of seventy scholars, hence its 
name, Septuagint, which is a Latin word 
meaning seventy. 

2. The Latin Vulgate, a Latin version of 
the entire Bible, made, or edited, by Jerome, 
about A. D. 383. Pope Pius has recently 
authorized a revision of this version, 

English Versions 

The following are the principal English 
versions : 

1. Wycliffe's Version, A. D. 1380, the first 
English Bible. Wycliffe, the great reformer, 
was the first to translate the Bible into the 
English language. It was made from the 
Latin Vulgate and occupied about twenty- 
two years. The art of printing was not 
known for nearly a century later, and this 
version was only in handwriting. 

2. Tyndale's Version of the New Testa- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 13 

ment, A. D. 1525, the first complete New 
Testament to be printed in English. 

3. Cloverdale's Version, A. D. 1535, the 
first complete Bible to be printed in 
English. 

4. Matthews' Bible (by John Rogers 
who assumed the name of Matthews), A. D. 
1537, called also Cranmer's Bible and the 
Great Bible. In 1539, by an edict of Henry 
VIII., King of England, it was placed in 
every church in England. This was, there- 
fore, the first authorized English Bible. 

5. The Geneva Bible, A. D. 1560, 
based on Tyndale's. This was the 
first Bible to omit the apocryphal 
books, the first to use italics to indicate the 
words not in the original, and the first whole 
Bible to be divided into verses. 

6. The Authorized Version, or King 
James Bible, A. D. 1611, by forty-seven 
scholars and theologians appointed by King 
James, of England. This is the Bible in 
common use at the present time. 

7. The Revised Version, by English and 
American scholars. More than ten years 
were occupied on the New Testament and 
nearly fifteen years on the Old Testament. 



14 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

The New Testament was published November 
11, 1880, the Old Testament, May 5, 1885. 

The American Standard Edition of the 
Revised Version, which has recently ap- 
peared, is generally regarded as a great im- 
provement over the Revised Version. The 
history of this edition can be told in few 
words. The American scholars desired many 
changes incorporated in the Revised Version 
which the British committee thought unde- 
sirable. These proposed changes were 
printed as an appendix to the version. When 
their work was completed the American com- 
mittee kept up their organization and con- 
tinued revising the appendix, and in fact 
the whole of the Bible. They agreed, how- 
ever, not to issue an American Version until 
fourteen years had elapsed. During these 
fourteen years and more, British and Amer- 
ican scholars gradually came to the conclu- 
sion that the American revisers were nearer 
the meaning of the original languages than 
their British co-laborers. As a result of this 
conclusion we have the American Revised 
Version. 



II. 

OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS AND 
WBITEES 

The Jewish Scriptures, which comprise 
thirty-nine books, were written during the 
eleven centuries between 
B. C. 1500 and B. C. 400, 
principally in the He- 
brew language, by about 
twenty-eight different au- 
thors. 

There are four divi- 
sions, as follows: (1) The Pentateuch (or 
the Law) — five books, Genesis to Deuteron- 
omy. (2) Historical — twelve books, Joshua to 
Esther. (3) Doctrinal or Poetical — five books, 
Job to Solomon's Song (Canticles). (4) Pro- 
phetical — seventeen books, known as the Major 
(greater) and Minor (lesser) Prophets. The 
Major Prophets — five books, Isaiah to Daniel ; 

15 



39 Books 
28 Authors 
11 Centuries 



16 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

the Minor Prophets — twelve books, Hosea to 
Malachi. 

The Pentateuch 

The w-ord pente means five, and teuchos, 
books — five books. These books contain the 
history of man from the creation to the 
conquest of Canaan. They were written by 
Moses during the years in the wilderness, 
between B. C. 1491 and 1451. 

1. Genesis, meaning "origin" or "crea- 
tion." This is the most ancient history in 
existence, and covers a period of about 2,369 
years. 

2. Exodus, meaning "a going forth/' This 
book contains the history of the departure 
of the children of Israel from Egypt, and 
covers a period of about two hundred and 
sixteen years. 

3. Leviticus, the law book. It contains 
the laws given by God, through Moses, to the 
Hebrew nation; called Leviticus because the 
administration of these laws was entrusted 
to the Levites. It covers a period of only 
one month. 

4. Numbers, might be called The Number- 
ings. In this book the census of the Israel- 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 17 

ites is given. The time covered is thirty-eight 
j-^ars. 

5. Deuteronomy, meaning the "second" or 
"repeated law." In it Moses repeats the law 
with explanations and additions. It con- 
tains a history of the last five weeks of the 
wilderness life. The last chapter, an ac- 
count of Moses' death, was probably written 
by Joshua. 

Historical Books 

These books contain the history of the 
Israelites during three great periods of their 
national life: (1) As a confederation of in- 
dependent tribes ; (2) as a monarchy, becom- 
ing separated after one hundred and twenty 
years into two kingdoms; (3) as captives, in- 
cluding also an account of the return from 
captivity. 

1. Joshua, meaning "salvation," written 
by Joshua, covering about twenty-five years. 
This book tells of conflict, faith, victory. 

2. Judges, authorship uncertain, but the 
earlier part probably written by Samuel. In 
this book a period of about three hundred 
years is covered. There were fifteen judges, 



18 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 

two of whom — Eli and Samuel — are men- 
tioned in 1 Samuel. 

3. Ruth. The authorship and date are 
very uncertain. By some its authorship 
is attributed to Samuel. The events are 
thought to have occurred during or soon 
after the judgeship of Gideon. The story 
covers a period of ten years, and is a beauti- 
ful picture of the best family life of those 
times. It has been referred to as an ap- 
pendix to Judges and an introduction to 
Samuel. 

4, 5. 1 and 2 Samuel, probably written by 
Samuel, Nathan and Gad (1 Chron. 29: 29). 
Time covered, B. C. 1146 to 1015. These 
two books are one in the Hebrew Canon. The 
great event in them is the establishment of 
the monarchy. Samuel was the last judge, 
and it was he who anointed the first king. 
"In the three double books of Samuel, Kings, 
and Chronicles is found the record of the 
rise, glory, and fall of the Israelitish mon- 
archy." 

6, 7. 1 and 2 Kings, authorship uncer- 
tain ; probably written by scribes and record- 
ers who were contemporary with the events 
(2 Chron. 9:29), and at a later date cam- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 19 

piled into a continuous history and edited 
by Jeremiah or Ezra. Time covered, B. C. 
1015 to 561. These books form but one book 
in the ancient Hebrew manuscripts. In them 
we have a history of the death of David, the 
reign of Solomon, the divided kingdom, and 
the captivity. 

8, 9. 1 and 2 Chronicles, probably com- 
piled and written by Ezra. The two books 
comprise a historical summary of all that 
has gone before, from Adam to the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 

10. Ezra, written by Ezra, a Jewish 
scribe, about B. C. 458. The first six chap- 
ters are a history of the return of the first 
exiles under Zerubbabel and the building of 
the temple; the last four are a history of 
Ezra's journey to Jerusalem and the reforms 
he inaugurated, nearly eighty years later. 

11. Nehemiah, written by Nehemiah 
about B. C. 433. It takes up the history 
about twelve years after the close of the book 
of Ezra and gives an account of the rebuild- 
ing of the wall and various reforms at Jeru- 
salem. 

12. Esther, author unknown. It is a 
story of the captivity, and belongs to the 



20 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKERS 

time between the dedication of the second 
temple and the coming of Ezra to Jerusalem. 

Doctrinal or Poetical Books 

1. Job, authorship and date unknown. It is 
probably the oldest book in existence, and 
there is no good reason why it may not have 
been written by Job himself. In this book 
it is shown that there is a personal devil; 
that good people suffer affliction; that the 
Lord is merciful. 

2. Psalms, of which there are one hundred 
and fifty by various authors, written during 
a period of 1,000 years. David wrote seventy- 
three. The authorship of fifty cannot be de- 
termined. "They touch upon every human 
experience and every hope of man." 

3. Proverbs, written principally by Solo- 
mon. "It is a manual of practical rules of 
life, as the book of Psalms is a manual of 
devotion." 

4. Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon near 
the close of his life. The book shows the 
vanity of all earthly pleasures, and the excel- 
lence and benefits of true religion. 

5. Song of Solomon, written by Solomon 
about B. C. 1014. The book is an allegory, 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 21 

setting forth the relation that exists between 
Christ and His church. 

Prophetical Books 

Major Prophets 

1. Isaiah. This prophet prophesied in 
Jerusalem about sixty years, from B. C. 759 
to 698. The ten tribes were carried into 
captivity in B. C. 721, so that Isaiah prophe- 
sied before and after that event. He was 
the greatest of the Old Testament proph- 
ets, and spoke clearly of the promised Mes- 
siah. 

2. Jeremiah. The name means "exalted 
of Jehovah." He prophesied from B. C. 627 
to 587, the year of the final destruction of 
Jerusalem. He lived at Anathoth, just 
north of Jerusalem. His mission was a sad 
one, and he was greatly persecuted, yet he 
never faltered. 

3. Lamentations, written by Jeremiah im- 
mediately after the fall of Jerusalem. The 
book is a dirge consisting of five elegies, writ- 
ten amid the ruins of the sacred city. The 
prophet expressed his great grief for the des- 
olation of Jerusalem and the captivity of 
Judah. 



22 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

4. Ezekiel, a prophet of the captivity, 
was carried to Babylon, B. C. 598, with King 
Jehoiachin, and began to prophesy five years 
later (Ezek. 1:13). He prophesied for 
twenty-two years. He remained on the 
banks of the Chebar river, where he had his 
remarkable visions of Jerusalem and the tem- 
ple. 

5. Daniel, a prophet of the captivity, was 
taken to Babylon at the age of fourteen 
years, at the time of the first invasion 
of Jerusalem, B. C. 605, at which time the 
beginning of the seventy years' captivity 
(Jer. 25:9-12; 29:10) must be counted. He 
lived to an advanced age, devout, courageous, 
filled with wisdom, honored. It is said that 
the record of his life does not present a 
single imperfection. 

Minor Prophets 

Arranged chronologically, the twelve minor 
prophets may be grouped as follows: 
(A) Before the captivity: 

1. Jonah, B. C. 862. He lived in Galilee; 
the Lord sent him to Nineveh. 

2. Joel. There is a wide divergence of 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 23 

opinion as to time, ranging from B. C. 860 
to 800. He probably lived in Jerusalem. 

3. Amos, a farmer and shepherd, B. C. 
800 to 784, a native of Tekoa, six miles south 
of Bethlehem. The scene of his labors was at 
Bethel in the northern kingdom. 

4. Hosea, meaning "salvation," B. C. 785 
to 725, was a prophet of the northern king- 
dom. He proclaimed the doom of the nation. 

(B) During the captivity of the ten tribes 
and before the captivity of Judah: 

1. Micah, B. C. 750 to 710 ; was a prophet 
to both kingdoms; clearly stated the birth- 
place of the promised Messiah. 

2. Nahum, B. C. 720 to 698; prophesied 
against Nineveh. 

3. Zephaniah,B. O. 630 to 620; denounced 
in unsparing terms the evils of Judah and 
Jerusalem. 

4. Habakkuk, B. C. 626; predicted the 
destruction of the Chaldeans. 

(C) During the captivity of Judah: 
Obadiah, B. C. 586; predicted the utter 

destruction of the Edomites. 

(D) After the captivity: 

1. Haggai, B. C. 520; made an appeal 
to the people to complete the temple, which 



24 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

had been lying in an unfinished state for 
fifteen years. 

2. Zechariah, B. C. 520 to 518; associated 
with Haggai ; his prophecy is a series of nine 
visions, given for the encouragement of 
God's people. 

3. Malaehi, B. 0. 433 to 427 ; his proph- 
ecy corresponds with the last chapter of 
Nehemiah. 

These prophecies were all written by the 
prophets whose names they bear, but the 
exact time of several of them is very uncer- 
tain. But little is known of any of them 
further than can be learned from the proph- 
ecy itself. 



27 Books 
8 Authors 
58 Years 



III. 

NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS AND 
WRITERS 

The New Testament, which comprises 
twenty-seven books, was written probably be- 
tween A. D. 38 and A. D. 
96, in the Greek language, 
by eight different authors. 

There are four di- 
visions, as follows: (1) 
Biographical— four books, Matthew to John. 
(2) Historical — one book, The Acts. (3) 
Doctrinal or Devotional — twenty-one books, 
known as the Pauline and General Epistles. 
The Pauline Epistles — fourteen books, Ro- 
mans to Hebrews. The General Epistles — ■ 
seven books, James to Jude. (4) Prophet- 
ical — one book, Revelation. 

Biographical Books 

In the four gospels we have the life of 

25 



26 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Christ from four different points of view. 
They were written in the Greek language, 
and Matthew in both Greek and Hebrew. 

1. Matthew, written by Matthew, also 
called Levi, one of the twelve apostles, about 
A. D. 38. Matthew writes to the Jews, and 
shows that the Scriptures find their fulfil- 
ment in Jesus Christ as the promised 
Messiah. 

2. Mark, written by John Mark, an 
evangelist, and son of a woman named Mary 
who lived in Jerusalem, between A. D. 60 
and 64, at Rome. Mark writes primarily for 
the Gentiles, and presents Jesus as a wonder- 
working Christ. 

3. Luke, written by Luke, a companion 
of Paul and a physician, about A. D. 63 or 
64, in Greece. Luke writes for the Greeks, 
dwelling upon the human side of Christ, pre- 
senting Him as the Son of man. 

4. John, written by the Apostle John, be- 
tween A. D. 80 and 90, at Ephesus. This 
book was written for all Christians, the cen- 
tral thought being that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God, a Divine Being who became 
incarnate and dwelt among men. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 27 

The Historical Book 

The Acts was written by Luke, the writer 
of the third gospel, about A. D. 63 or 64, in 
Greece. It is the first history of the Christian 
church, covering a little more than thirty 
years, from the resurrection of Christ, A. D. 
30, to Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, 
A. D. 61. 

Doctrinal or Devotional Books 

The Pauline Epistles 

The Epistles written by Paul, or the 
Pauline Epistles, are arranged chronologi- 
cally as follows: 

1. 1 Thessalonians, written at Corinth, 
A. D. 52 or 53, during PauPs one and one-half 
years' stay in that city while on his second 
missionary journey, to the church at Thes- 
salonica. The general theme is the second 
coming of Christ. 

2. 2 Thessalonians, written at Corinth, a 
few months after the first. In his sec- 
ond epistle the apostle explains more fully 
some things in his first letter which they 
had evidently misunderstood. He is still on 
his second missionary journey. 



28 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEBS 

3. 1 Corinthians, written at Ephesus, A. D. 
57, near the close of Paul's three years' stay 
in that city while on his third missionary 
journey, to the church at Corinth. Paul 
deals with questions that pertain to practical 
godliness, laying down principles on which 
the law of purity rests. 

4. 2 Corinthians, written in Macedonia 
soon after writing the first Epistle. Paul re- 
joices that they have heeded his words, 
and dwells on his apostolic authority. He 
is on his third missionary journey. 

5. Galatians, written at Corinth, A. D. 
57, to the churches in Galatia. Subject, 
Christian liberty. Paul on his third mis- 
sionary journey. 

6. Eomans, written at Corinth, A. D. 58, 
to the Christians in Rome, whom he had 
never seen. Paul is still on his third mis- 
sionary journey. This has been said to be 
Paul's masterpiece. The central thought is 
justification by faith. 

7-11. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 
Ephesians, and probably Hebrews, were 
written during Paul's first imprisonment at 
Rome, A. D. 62, 63. They are called the 
"Epistles of the Imprisonment." They 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 29 

were probably written in the order men- 
tioned. Philippians, Colossians and Ephe- 
sians were written to churches. Thankful- 
ness for favors received, true Christian resig- 
nation and spiritual joy, the supremacy of 
Jesus Christ, and the unity of the church 
in Christ, are leading points discussed. 
Philemon was written to a "beloved fellow- 
worker" by that name on a private matter 
in which Paul makes intercession for Onesi- 
mus, a slave belonging to Philemon. The 
last of these epistles was written "to the 
Hebrews." The central thought is the priest- 
hood of Christ. 

12. 1 Timothy, written in Macedonia 
about A. D. 65, after the apostle's first im- 
prisonment at Rome, to Timothy, pastor, or 
bishop, of the church at Ephesus. In this 
letter Paul instructs his beloved disciple in 
church order and discipline. 

13. Titus, also written in Macedonia 
about the same time the first letter was writ- 
ten to Timothy. Both epistles treat prin- 
cipally of the duties pertaining to the pas- 
toral office. 

14. 2 Timothy, written at Rome, A. D. 
66, during Paul's second imprisonment, and 



30 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

shortly before his execution. We have here 
the great apostle's last words, in which he 
clearly states that he is "ready to be offered." 
Thes§ three epistles are called PauPs "pas- 
toral epistles." 

The General or Catholic Epistles 

1. James, written at Jerusalem by James, 
the Lord's brother, for many years pastor, 
or bishop, of the church at Jerusalem, prob- 
ably in A. D. 62. It is written to the scat- 
tered tribes, and dwells on faith as essential 
to salvation. Josephus tells us that James 
was stoned to death, A. D. 62. 

2. 1 Peter, written by the Apostle Peter 
to the Christians of Asia Minor, about A. D. 
64, from Babylon (chap. 5:13); but many 
think Babylon is a mystical name for Eome. 
Peter exalts Christ and the cross, and ex- 
horts them to obedience, unity, love, humil- 
ity and watchfulness. 

3. 2 Peter, written by Peter to the Chris- 
tians of Asia Minor about A. D. 66; place 
of writing not known. The epistle is full of 
warning. 

4-6. 1, 2 and 3 John, written by the 
Apostle John at Ephesus, about the same 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 31 

time he wrote his gospel, A. D. 85-90. The 
first epistle was probably addressed to the 
churches of Asia. In it John proclaims the 
incarnation of Christ as God manifest in 
the flesh. The second and third epistles !are 
addressed to individuals, although some hold 
that the term "elect lady" in the second has 
reference to a church. 

7. Jude, written by Jude, brother of 
James, time not known, but probably before 
the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70; 
aimed at the gross evils of the time. 

The Prophetical Book 

The Revelation, or Apocalypse, written 
by the Apostle John, probably A. D. 95 or 96. 
John's vision was on the Isle of Patmos, and 
the book was written either on the isle or 
after his return to Ephesus. It consists 
largely of prophecy in figurative language. 



IV. 
THE OLD TESTAMENT WORLD 

Its Extent 

The events enumerated in the Old Testa- 
ment occurred in a comparatively small 
tract of country, between 30 degrees and 54 
degrees east longitude and between 30 de- 
grees and 40 degrees north latitude. 

In extent the Old Testament World is 
from 1,200 to 1,400 miles long (from east to 
west), and from 800 to 900 miles wide. 

Excluding the large bodies of water it in- 
cludes about one million square miles, which 
is equal to about one-third of the extent of 
the United States, not including Alaska. 

It is bounded on the north by Armenia, 
on the east by Media and Persia, on the 
south by the Arabian desert, and on the west 
by the Mediterranean Sea, 

It is difficult to note the exact limits of the 
different countries as their boundaries vary 

32 



. HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 33 

at different periods of their history. It 
should be remembered that die Arabian 
desert occupies a large portion (nearly one- 
half) of the territory. 

The Principal Countries 

1. Egypt on the southwest, the land 
where God's people dwelt for more than two 
centuries, the last half of the time under 
great oppression. 

2. Canaan on the west, the land which 
God promised to Abraham and his descend- 
ants. 

3. Syria on the west, northeast of Canaan. 
It was for many centuries an active enemy of 
the Hebrew nation. 

4. Armenia on the north, where Noah's 
ark rested. But few Scriptural events are 
associated with this country. 

5. Mesopotamia, southwest of Armenia^ 
the land to which Abram journeyed when 
called to leave TJr. 

6. Assyria, south of Armenia. Its capital, 
Nineveh, became one of the largest cities in 
the East. Assyria was the land of the cap- 
tivity of the ten tribes. 

7. Chaldea, called also Babylonia, south- 



34 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

east of Mesopotamia, extending to the Per- 
sian Gulf. It was the land of the captivity 
of Judah. Babylon, its capital, when at the 
height of its power and glory was the 
metropolis of the East. 

8. Media on the east, south of the Cas- 
pian Sea. At one time a large and im- 
portant portion of the Assyrian Empire be- 
longed to Media. 

9. Persia on the east, south of Media. 
Under Cyrus the Great the Persians gained 
the supremacy over the Medes, and in B. C. 
538 Cyrus took the city of Babylon. Two 
years later he issued an edict permitting the 
Hebrew captives to return to Palestine. 

Mountains 

Much of the country embraced in the Old 
Testament World is rough and broken with 
mountain ranges. This is especially the case 
with Canaan, Syria and Armenia. The 
principal mountain ranges are the Ararat 
Mountains on the north, the Caspian 
Mountains on the northeast, extending 
around the south side of the Caspian Sea, 
the Zagros Range, extending from Armenia 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS J5 

southeast to the Persian Gulf, and the Leb- 
anon Range on the west. 

Seas 

The principal seas are the Red Sea on the 
southwest, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Gali- 
lee in Canaan, the Mediterranean Sea on the 
west and the Caspian Sea on the northeast. 
In addition to these there is the Persian Gulf 
on the southeast. 

RiVers 

Four rivers should be noted: The Nile 
flows northward through Egypt. The Jor- 
dan flows south through Canaan into the 
Dead Sea. The Tigris and Euphrates rise 
in Armenia and flow in a southeasterly di- 
rection, enclosing Mesopotamia and Chaldea, 
and finally unite and empty into the Persian 
Gulf. 

Location of Eden 

In Genesis 2 : 10 we are told that the 
Garden of Eden was watered by a river 
which became "four heads." That the Tigris 
and the Euphrates are two of the four 
rivers seems certain. The garden may have 



36 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

been in the highlands of Armenia, west of 
Mount Ararat. Here, within a circle of a 
few miles, four large rivers rise, which may 
have been the rivers referred to. But another 
location now quite generally preferred is near 
the spot where the Euphrates and Tigris form 
a junction, about one hundred and twenty 
miles north of the Persian Gulf. 






V. 

OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY 

The Bible is the oldest historical book ex- 
tant, and no true history of the world could 
be written without consulting its pages. In 
it we find the history of the beginning of 
things. In this it is different from all other 
histories. 

Old Testament History may be divided 
into five periods as follows: 

I. The Period of Beginnings. 

II. The Period of the Patriarchs. 

III. The Period of the Theocracy. 

IV. The Period of the Kings. 

V. The Period of Foreign Rulers. 



I. THE PERIOD OP BEGINNINGS 

This period extends from the Creation of 
Man to the Deluge, covering 1,656 years, 



38 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

from B. C. 4004 to B. C. 2348 (Ussher's 
Chronology*). 

Leading EOents 

1. The Fall of Man, thus bringing sin 
into the world. 

2. The translation of Enoch (Gen. 5:24; 
see Heb. 11:5). 

3. The warnings God gave Noah by 
which he was led to prepare the ark. 

The history of this long period is given in 
the first six chapters of Genesis. During the 
time the Old Testament world became 
densely populated, and the race exceedingly 
wicked, so that God decided to destroy the 
people from the face of the earth. 



*The Chronology of these early times is very un- 
certain. From Adam to Christ is now quite gener- 
ally believed to have been a much longer period 
than four thousand years. We shall, as a rule, 
follow Archbishop Ussher, but we do this merely 
for the sake of uniformity. Ussher lived three 
hundred years ago (1580 to 1656), and in the light 
of modern research his Chronology needs revising, 
but there is such a lack of uniformity among 
scholars that when we discard his system we are 
in great confusion. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEES 39 

Men Contemporaneous 

Adam lived nine hundred and thirty 
years and Methuselah, nine hundred and 
sixty-nine years. Adam was contemporary 
with Methuselah two hundred and forty* 
three years. Methuselah died less than a 
year before the deluge and was contempo- 
rary with Noah six hundred years. Noah 
lived six hundred years before the deluge 
and three hundred and fifty years after it. 
Noah had been dead two years when Abra- 
ham was born, but Sheni lived one hundred 
and fifty-two years after the death of his 
father and was contemporary with Abraham 
one hundred and fifty years. Thus we see 
how the story of the Creation might have 
been accurately handed down even to Moses' 
time. 

Extent of the Deluge 

There has been much discussion as to 
the extent of the deluge. Was the whole 
round world covered with water or only the 
Old Testament world? Whatever may be 
the conclusion arrived at, this much must 
be considered settled, that "the deluge was 
co-extensive with the human population of 



40 , HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

the earth." Traditions of the flood are found 
in every branch of the human family, which 
is a strong corroborative testimony of the 
fact of the deluge as well as the extent. 

II. THE PERIOD OP THE PATRIARCHS 

This period extends from the Deluge to the 
Exodus, covering eight hundred and fifty- 
seven years, from B. C. 2348 to B. C. 1491. 

Leading Events 

1. The call of Abram. 

2. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan. 

3. Joseph and then Jacob and his fam- 
ily in Egypt. 

4. The Egyptian bondage. 

5. Moses and Aaron called to deliver 
Israel. 

6. The ten plagues and the Exodus. 

The Dispersion 

After the deluge the earth was again pop- 
ulated through three lines, Shem, Ham and 
Japheth, to which the races and languages 
of men may be traced. At the tower of Babel 
the Lord confused the language of the peo- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 41 

pie and scattered them over the face of the 
earth. The object was to give an opportunity 
for development and to limit the spread of 
evil. 

Abraham 

The new race started out on a very much 
higher plane than the former one; but man 
went astray and fell into sin, and there was 
danger that the truth would be lost from 
the earth. Another method of preserving the 
truth and saving man was now undertaken 
by the Most High. His purpose was to 
choose a man, and through him a family and 
a nation, to be God's witness upon the earth. 
Abram was chosen. At the call of God he 
left Ur and moved up the Euphrates to 
Haran, in Mesopotamia, about five hundred 
miles north of Ur. Here the family re- 
mained until Terah, Abram's aged father, 
died. Then God called Abram the second 
time and he at once journeyed to Canaan, 
taking with him Lot, his brother's son. Now 
followed the trip to Egypt, the separation 
between Lot and Abram, the rescue of Lot 
from the kings and the change of Abram's 
name from Abram, "high or exalted fa- 



42 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

ther," to Abraham, "the father of a multi- 
tude." 

Isaac 

When Abraham was one hundred years 
old, Isaac, the child of promise, was born, 
B. C. 1896. When Isaac was about twenty-five 
years old, the Lord tested Abraham's faith 
by commanding him to offer up Isaac as a 
burnt-offering. When Isaac was forty years 
old Rebekah became his wife. At the death of 
Abraham he was buried in the cave of Mach- 
pelah with his wife, Sarah. At present this 
cave is covered by a Mohammedan mosque, 
which is sacredly guarded against the in- 
trusion of travelers. 

Jacob 

Twenty years after Isaac's marriage, when 
he was sixty years of age, Jacob and Esau were 
born. When the boys were about thirty-two 
years old, Esau, the elder, sold his birthright 
to Jacob for a dinner of pottage (Gen. 25 :27- 
34). About forty-four or forty-five years 
after this Jacob, through the assistance of 
his mother, deceived Isaac and stole the 
blessing that by right belonged to Esau. To 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 43 

escape the wrath of Esau, it was necessary 
for Jacob to leave home, and so Rebekah 
persuaded Isaac to send hira to Haran to 
obtain a wife. On the way Jacob had a 
vision near Luz and made a vow to God. He 
married in Haran and after remaining with 
Laban, his uncle, for twenty years he took 
his large family and started for Canaan. On 
the way he wrestled with the angel and pre- 
vailed and met his brother, Esau, in peace. 

Time Spent in Egypt 

The Bible narrative now introduces the 
story of Joseph. No blemish appears in the 
life of this noble youth. Jacob lived ,in 
Egypt seventeen years, Joseph lived fifty-four 
years after the death of his father, and the 
descendants of Jacob remained one hundred 
and forty-four years after the death of 
Joseph, which makes the entire time in 
Egypt two hundred and fifteen years. God 
delivered them from their cruel taskmasters 
with a mighty hand. 

Chronology 

Abraham was born in Ur, B. C. 1996. 
Abraham called the first time, B. C. 1926. 



44 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEES 

Abraham' at Haran, B. C. 1926 to 1921. 
Abraham was called the second time and 
left Haran for Canaan, B. C. 1921. 

Abraham separated from Lot, B. C. 1918. 
Abraham rescued Lot, B. C. 1913. 
God's covenant with Abraham, B. C. 1913. 
Isaac was born, B. 0. 1896. 
Isaac was offered up on Moriah, B. C. 1871. 
Isaac was married to Bebekah, B. C. 1856. 
Jacob and Esau were born, B. C. 1836. 
Abraham died (175 years old), B. C. 1821. 
Esau sold his birthright, B. C. 1804. 
Isaac was deceived by Jacob, B. C. 1760. 
Jacob fled from Canaan, B. C. 1760. 
Joseph was born in Haran, B. C. 1746. 
Jacob left Haran for Canaan, B. C. 1740. 
Joseph sold (17 years old), B. C. 1729. 
Joseph cast into prison, B. C. 1719. 
Joseph made ruler of Egypt, B. C. 1716. 
Isaac died (180 years old), B. C. 1716. 
Jacob goes down into Egypt, B. C. 1707. 
Jacob died (147 years old), B. C. 1689. 
Joseph died (110 years old), B. C. 1635. 
Moses was born, B. C. 1571. 
Moses called to deliver Israel, B. C. 1492. 
The Israelites left Egypt, B. C. 1491. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 45 

Recapitulation 

The events of the period have led us into 
five lands : 1. Ur, where Abraham was born. 

2. Canaan, where Isaac lived, from which 
place Jacob fled and where Joseph was sold. 

3. Mesopotamia, where Jacob fled. 4. Egypt, 
where the nation was raised up. 5. Arabia, 
the land to which Moses fled and where he 
received his call to deliver Israel. 

We have studied the lives and characters 
, of five great men : 1. Abraham, the father 
of the Israelitish nation. 2. Isaac, the 
child of promise. 3. Jacob, a man of prayer 
and faith, who gained a signal victory and 
received a great blessing. 4. Joseph, a man 
of integrity, who became great. 5. Moses, 
who led God's people out pf Egypt. 
Study (1) the training, (2) the character, 
(3) the influence and power, and (4) the suc- 
cess of these leaders. 

Thus we have seen the Lord gradually 
bringing about His purposes in ways that 
are mysterious and strange. Through Noah 
and then through Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob, God preserved faith in the earth. His 
plans for the redemption of the human fam- 
ily were being carefully wrought out. A 



46 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

nation is raised tip in a foreign country and 
then with a mighty hand is delivered from 
the oppressor and started toward the land of 
promise. We should learn that no event in 
our lives is unimportant, for great results 
may spring from that which in itself is very 
insignificant. 

III. THE PERIOD OF THE THEOCRACY 

This period extends from the Exodus to 
the Monarchy, covering three hundred and 
ninety-five years, from B. C. 1491 to B. C. 
1096. 

During this period Jehovah was king 
(Judges 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7), and Israel was 
governed by rulers of God's appointment, as 
Moses and Joshua and the Judges (Judges 
2:16). We therefore call it the period of 
the Theocracy. 

Leading Events 

1. Giving the law at Sinai. 

2. The wilderness life. 

3. The conquest of Canaan. 

4. The rule of the judges, from the death 
of Joshua to Saul. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 47 

At Sinai 

In less than two months after leaving 
Egypt Israel was encamped before Mount Si- 
nai. The Lord had safely brought them 
through the sea, had given them bread from 
heaven and had delivered them from their 
enemies. Now Moses brought them out be- 
fore the mount to meet the Lord. There were 
thunders, lightnings and the sound of a 
trumpet. It may be supposed that when the 
sound of the trumpet ceased, Jehovah him- 
self immediately spoke and, in a voice loud 
enough to be distinctly heard by the im- 
mense, assembled multitude, gave them the 
ten commandments. Afterward God wrote 
the law with His own finger on two tables 
of stone, and to-day He writes it on the 
fleshy tables of our hearts. 

After giving the children of Israel the ten 
commandments the Lord talked with Moses 
and gave him a large number of special 
enactments based upon them for the govern- 
ment of the people (Exod. 20: 22 to 23:33). 
Then Moses w r rote "all the w^ords of the 
Lord" and called the people together to rat- 
ify the covenant. An altar was built, offer- 
ings were sacrificed, and the book of the 



48 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

covenant read. The people made a solemn 
promise to obey, and the blood of the sacri- 
fice was sprinkled on the altar, on the peo- 
ple and on the book (Exod. 24:3-8). Moses 
was then called up into the mount with the 
Lord to receive instructions concerning the 
tabernacle and other sacred matters, and for 
forty days the people lost sight of their 
leader. Then came the disobedience (Exod. 
32). Afterward Moses was again in the 
mount with the Lord for forty days, and 
a second time God gave him the ten com- 
mandments on two tables of stone (Exod. 
34:1-28). 

The tabernacle was dedicated on the first 
day of Abib, B. C. 1490. Then immediately 
followed the untimely death of Nadab and 
Abihu (Lev. 10:1-11). 

The Israelites remained at Sinai eleven 
months and twenty days, from the first day 
of the third month, B. C. 1491 (Exod. 19:1), 
to the twentieth day of the second month, 
B. C. 1490. 

From Sinai to Canaan 

Why the long delay at Sinai? 1. To 
give time to properly organize. 2 N To edu- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 49 

cate and establish them in their religion. 
3. To give them needed rest. But at last 
the vast host began their eastward and 
northward march toward the land of prom- 
ise. They soon reached the borders of the 
land and halted at Kadesh-barnea. The 
spies were sent over, the evil report of the 
ten discouraged the people and the rebellion 
followed. They then started on a wander- 
ing, wilderness life which was to last for 
thirty-eight years. During this time it be- 
came necessary for Jehovah to repeatedly 
chastise them because of their idolatries, 
their rebellions and their murmurings. It 
is impossible to follow them with certainty 
in all their wanderings. Some of the lead- 
ing events were Korah's rebellion (Num. 16) ; 
Aaron's rod budding (Num. 17) ; the death 
of Miriam, Moses' sister (Num. 20 : 1) ; water 
brought from the rock at Meribah and the 
rashness of Moses by which he was kept from 
entering Canaan (Num. 20:2-13); the death 
of Aaron on Mount Hor (Num. 20:22-29). 

Joshua Succeeds Moses 

Finally they were encamped on the east 
of Jordan in full view of the Promised Land. 



50 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Joshua was appointed the successor of 
Moses, and Moses, the great general and law- 
giver, was called up into Mount Nebo to die. 
He was called to his reward without having 
entered upon his earthly inheritance. 

Under the new leader Jordan was crossed 
and the conquest of Canaan begun. As soon 
as the Israelites had entered Canaan the 
sign of circumcision was revived and the 
Passover renewed. After about six years of 
war the land was so far subdued that it was 
divided among the tribes. 

The Judges and Oppressions 

During the time from Joshua to Saul, 
about three hundred years, there was no 
central government and no magistrate that 
wielded power whom all the tribes obeyed. 
"Every man did that which was right in his 
own eyes," that is, every man was largely 
his own master, lawgiver and executive. 
There were repeated uprisings of the natives 
against their Israelitish conquerors, and also 
invasions by foreign tribes. Thus God's peo- 
ple were often greatly oppressed. The 
judges were, in most instances, men raised 
up to lead the Israelites in their effort to 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 51 

drive back the invaders. Most of the judges 
ruled over a limited region, and it was 
doubtless the case that at times more than 
one was in authority in different parts of 
the land at the same time, while at other 
times there were long intervals of foreign 
servitude under which the people groaned 
without deliverers. The "oppressions" 
caused by the invading hordes are generally 
reckoned as seven, as follows: 

1. The Mesopotamian oppression (Judges 
3: 1-11), soon after the death of Joshua. Oth- 
niel, the first judge, was the deliverer. 

2. The Moabite oppression (Judges 3:12- 
30). Ehud, the second judge, was the de- 
liverer. 

3. An oppression, or rather, a raid by 
the Philistines (Judges 3:31). Shamgar, the 
third judge, repelled this attack and slew six 
hundred men with an ox goad. 

4. The Canaanite oppression (Judges, 
chaps. 4, 5). A woman, Deborah, the fourth 
judge, assisted by Barak, delivered Israel 
from Jabin and Sisera. 

5. The Midianite oppression (Judges 6- 
8). The Midianites overran the central 
part of Canaan, plundering and destroying. 



52 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

The Israelites hid in the caves of the moun- 
tains. Gideon, the fifth judge, was the de- 
liverer. With three hundred chosen men, in 
a night attack, the enemy was put to rout. 

The sixth judge was Abimelech, one of 
Gideon's sons (Judges 9). The seventh 
judge was Tola (Judges 10:1, 2). The 
eighth judge was Jair (Judges 10:3-5). 

6. The Ammonite oppression (Judges 10:6 
to 11:40), lasting eighteen years. The Israel- 
ites finally rallied, called Jephthah, the ninth 
judge, to the command, and put them to 
flight and wasted their territory. 

The tenth judge was Ibzan, the eleventh 
was Elon, and the twelfth was Abdon 
(Judges 12:8-15). 

7. The Philistine oppression "(Judges 13- 
16). The oppression lasted during the 
judgeships of Eli, the thirteenth judge, who 
was also high priest, of Samson the four- 
teenth, and of Samuel, the fifteenth and last. 
The Philistines were the most active and ag- 
gressive nation of Palestine. Strong in 
their military organization, fierce in their 
warlike spirit, they overran the southwestern 
part of Israel's possession for years (13:1). 
They climbed the passes at their will, carry- 



CANAAN 

as divided among 

THE TWELVE TRIBES 

j <5 ' id to 

Citxea of Rctiige arv undertrntd 




HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 53 

ing off not only the harvest when ripe, but 
even men, women, and children to slavery. 
It was against such an enemy that Samson 
was raised up. His great strength was an 
endowment from God, on condition of his 
living the life of a Nazarite. Four times 
it is declared that the Spirit of the Lord 
came upon him in connection with his feats 
Of strength (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). 

Samuel, the last of the judges, was also 
the first in the regular succession of proph- 
ets. Very early in life he was taken to 
Shiloh, the religious capital of Israel, and 
put under the charge of Eli. He remained 
as Eli's assistant until the death of the lat- 
ter. Samuel had godly parents and a good 
home. It was during his career that the 
period of the kings began. 



VI. 

OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY 

(Concluded) 

IV. THE PERIOD OP THE KINGS 

This period extends from the coronation 
of Saul to the captivity of Judah, covering 
five hundred and eight years, from B. C. 
1095 to B. C. 587. 

Leading Events 

1. The erection of the temple by Solomon 
on Mount Moriah. 

2. The division of the kingdom at the 
close of Solomon's reign. 

3. The fall of Samaria and the captivity 
of the ten tribes. 

4. The destruction of Jerusalem and cap- 
tivity of Judah. 

The Undivided Kingdom 

When the elders of Israel asked for a king 

54 



HANDBOOK FOS SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKERS 55 

both Samuel and God were much displeased; 
but after a solemn protest the Lord promised 
to grant their request. Saul was twice 
called: (1) in secret by Samuel, and (2) 
at a large assembly at Mizpeh. There could 
be no conflict between the two calls, for the 
Lord directed them both. But Saul became 
rebellious and disobedient and the Lord re- 
jected him and chose David who became one 
of Israel's greatest and best kings. When 
David was seventy years old he chose his son 
Solomon to rule in his stead. Solomon asked 
for and received great wisdom. He also had 
riches and honor. His great work was the 
building of the temple. During the latter 
part of his life he fell into grievous sins. 
Saul, David and Solomon each reigned forty 
years, B. C. 1095 to 975.* 

The reigns of Saul and David were war- 
like. Their campaigns were frequent and ex- 
tensive. The reign of Solomon was peaceful. 

Chronology * * 

Samuel was born about B. C. 1146. 



*Some authorities think that Saul reigned only 
twenty years, 

**See footnote, page 38. 



56 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Israel asks for a king, B. C. 1095. 
Saul chosen king, B. C. 1095. 
David born in Bethlehem, B. C. 1085. 
Saul rejected by the Lord, B. C. 1079. 
David anointed at Bethlehem, B. C. 1065. 
David slays the giant Goliath, B. C. 1063. 
Saul tries to kill David, B. C. 1062. 
David covenants with Jonathan, B. C. 1062. 
David an exile, B. C. 1062 to 1055. 
Saul and his sons slain, B. C. 1055. 
David anointed king over Judah, B. C. 1055. 
Ish-bosheth king over Israel, B. C. 1050-48. 
Abner and Ish-bosheth slain, B. C. 1048. 
David anointed king over all Israel, B. C. 
1048. 

Nathan first mentioned, B. C. 1042. 
David cares for Mephibosheth, B. C. 1040. 
David's great sin, B. C. 1035. 
Nathan reproves David, B. C. 1034. 
Absalom's rebellion, B. C. 1023. 
Solomon anointed king, B. C. 1015. 
Solomon dedicates *the temple, B. C. 1004. 
Solomon's death, B. C. 975. 

The Kingdom Divided 

After Solomon's death the people as- 
sembled at Shechem to choose a new king. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 57 

Solomon's natural successor was his son 
Rehoboam. But the people had determined 
to exact certain reforms as the condition of 
their allegiance. The northern tribes had 
many grievances. They were oppressed. The 
forced free labor for Solomon's great works 
was exceedingly burdensome. Taxation was 
heavy. They were so far removed from Jeru- 
salem that they could not share in the 
wealth which filled the coffers of those in 
authority. The demands made upon Reho- 
boam were righteous and should have re- 
ceived careful consideration, but instead of 
heeding the requests of the northerners, the 
young king answered them roughly and de- 
clared he would increase their burdens. 
Then came the revolt and the ten tribes im- 
mediately made Jeroboam their king. 

The kingdom of Israel was the first to per- 
ish, continuing only two hundred and fifty- 
four years after the death of Solomon — 
B. C. 975 to 721. Judah continued one hun- 
dred and thirty-four years longer, from B.C. 
975 to 587. Each kingdom was ruled by 
nineteen kings. In addition to this Judah 
was ruled for seven years by Athaliah, the 
usurper. 



58 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

The kings of Israel were all wicked and 
seven usurped the throne by bloodshed. 
Judak's kings were all descendants of David, 
but Israel's kings sprang from nine different 
houses or dynasties. 

THE KINGDOM OP ISRAEL 

Jeroboam 

Jeroboam was a very remarkable man. He 
was an Ephraimite of the town of Zereda, 
whom Solomon had made chief of the forced 
labor from the tribes of Ephraim and Manas- 
seh. After he was made king there were 
bright prospects before him. His kingdom 
was large and prosperous and he was a man 
of ability and energy. But he allowed a 
worldly policy to predominate and gradually 
led his people away into idolatrous practises 
which eventually caused his downfall and 
the utter extermination of all his house (1 
Kings 14:11). Jeroboam reigned twenty- 
two years. 

Nadab 

At the death of Jeroboam, Nadab, his son, 
became king. Nadab reigned less than two 
years and was assassinated by Baasha, of 
the tribe of Issachar, who usurped the king- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 59 

dom. With Nadab perished his children and 
the race of Jeroboam, as God had foretold 
by Ahijah (1 Kings 14:5-11; 15:25-30). 
Jehu uttered a similar prophecy against 
Baasha (1 Kings 16:1-4), which was soon 
fulfilled in the extermination of his family. 

Baasha, El ah, Zimri 

Baasha reigned twenty-four years and at 
his death his son Elah became his successor. 
Elah reigned less than two years and while 
intoxicated was slain by Zimri, one of his 
officers, who succeeded him as king. Zimri 
destroyed all the family of Baasha, accord- 
ing to the prediction of the prophet Jehu. 

Omri 

When it became known that Elah was 
dead, the army at once elected Omri, their 
general, to be king of Israel. Omri immedi- 
ately marched against Zimri, attacked him 
at Tirzah, and forced him to burn himself 
and all his family in the palace. His reign 
had lasted only seven days. But Omri was 
not allowed to establish his dynasty without 
a struggle against Tibni whom half of the 
people desired to raise to the throne. The 



60 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

civil war lasted four years, when Tibni died 
and Omri reigned alone. The entire time of 
Omri's reign was twelve years. His most im- 
portant work was the founding of Samaria 
which henceforth became the capital of 
Israel. He was more wicked than any king 
who had preceded him. 

Ahab 

At the death of Omri, Ahab, his son, be- 
came king. He was an infamous king and 
his wickedness knew no bounds. He fully 
established Baal worship. No king of the 
Jews left a sadder record. Under him 
idolatry and wickedness became fearfully 
prevalent, the prophets of God were slain 
and His worship forbidden. Ahab "did more 
to provoke the Lord to anger than all the 
kings that were before him." He was slain 
in battle and dogs licked up his blood at the 
pool of Samaria. 

The Moabite Stone 

A strong confirmation of Bible history is 
the Moabite stone which was discovered by 
Doctor Klein, a German missionary, in 1868. 
It is a black basalt rock about four feet by 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 61 

two, on which an inscription of thirty-four 
lines appears, engraved by Mesha, king of 
M'oab, during the reigns of Omri and Ahab. 
Oniri, Ahab and Israel are mentioned by 
name. 

Ahaziah, Jehoram 

At the death of Ahab, Ahaziah, his son, 
reigned in Israel two years. At his death his 
brother, Jehoram (or Joram) , took the throne 
and reigned twelve years. Jehoram did evil, 
but not as Ahab, his father, had done. He 
w^as slain by Jehu, a general of his army 
(2 Kings 9:24). 

Jehu 

After Jehu had slain his master he usurped 
the throne and continued to reign for twenty- 
eight years. He fulfilled the divine purpose 
in extirpating the house of Ahab, but his 
heart was not right with God. See his his- 
tory in 1 Kings 19 : 16, 17 ; 2 Kings, chaps. 
9, 10. 

Jehoahaz, Jehoash 

At the death of Jehu, Jehoahaz, his son, 
reigned in Israel seventeen years. He walked 



62 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

in the ways of the wicked kings that had 
preceded him, and the Lord permitted the 
Syrians to oppress Israel. At the death of 
Jehoahaz, Jehoash, his son, reigned sixteen 
years. During his reign there was war be- 
tween Israel and Judah in which Judah was 
defeated* 



Jeroboam II. 

At the death of Jehoash, Jeroboam II., his 
son, reigned forty-one years. Under this 
king Israel was restored to its ancient limits 
and stood at the height of its power. The 
political influence of the country was ex- 
tended from Lebanon to the Dead Sea. As 
a result there was general prosperity, and 
wealth abounded. No such wealth had been 
known since the days of Solomon. But while 
the people were thus outwardly prosperous 
internal forces were at work which were soon 
to cause the complete destruction of the 
nation. Society was corrupt. Drunkenness 
and debauchery abounded. The passion for 
money became general. But little truth 
or knowledge of God was left in the land. 
Matters grew worse toward the close of Jero- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 63 

boam's reign and in the years which followed 
his death. 

Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, 
Pekahiah, Pekah 

At the death of Jeroboam II., Zechariah, 
his son, reigned six months. He was slain 
by Shallum who reigned one month. Shallum 
was slain by Menahem who reigned ten 
years. Menahem became tributary to As- 
syria. At his death Pekahiah, his son, 
reigned two years. Pekahiah was slain by 
Pekah, one of his captains, who established 
himself on the throne and reigned for twenty 
years. During the reign of Pekah, Tiglatk- 
pileser, a great Assyrian conqueror, began 
a sweeping conquest of the northern part of 
the kingdom of Israel. For two years he 
continued to deport in great numbers the 
inhabitants of the region afterward known 
as Galilee. 

Hoshea—The Fall of Samaria 

Pekah was slain by Hoshea who reigned 
nine years. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 
attacked Israel soon after Hoshea began to 
reign, and the king of Israel became a 



64 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEBS 

vassal of Assyria and paid tribute to Shal- 
maneser. But Hoshea, seeing what appeared 
to be a favorable opportunity, made a bold 
dash for liberty. He formed an alliance 
against the Assyrians with So, the Pharaoh 
of Egypt, and refused longer to pay the 
tribute. This brought Shalmaneser and the 
Assyrian army upon them and for three 
years they besieged Samaria. ' The length 
of the siege shows the strength of Samaria. 
Its horrors may be inferred from Isa. 28 :14 ; 
Hosea 10 : 14 ; 13 : 16 ; Amos 6 : 9-14. But the 
end at last came, and the city was obliged 
to capitulate. From the Assyrian inscrip- 
tions it appears that during the siege Shal- 
maneser was succeeded by Sargon, one of his 
generals, and that it was Sargon who finally 
took Samaria. 

What became of the Israelites? Thousands 
were carried away into the northern dis- 
tricts of Assyria. The poorer ones who re- 
mained were mingled with foreigners who 
had been brought there by the Assyrians, and 
became the Samaritans (2 Kings 17 :24) . Thus 
do we see how the judgments of God fell 
upon the people because of their great 
wickedness. 



HANDBOOK FOS SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS $5 

THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 

Rehoboam 

After the division of the kingdom, King 
Rehoboam was at first inclined to try to con- 
quer the tribes that had revolted. He was pre- 
vented, however, by the killing of Adoram 
(1 Kings 12:18) and by Shemaiah, the man 
of God, who forbade the people of Judah and 
Benjamin from fighting against their breth- 
ren. It would have been folly for Eehoboam, 
an inexperienced king, to make such an at- 
tempt against a kingdom nearly three times 
the size of his own. Rehoboam's ruin was 
the result of his own folly. His character 
was weak and he was vain and conceited. 
His reign continued seventeen years. 

Abijah 

At the death of Rehoboam, Abijah, his 
son, became king. His reign was short, con- 
tinuing less than three years. The record 
concerning him is that "he walked in all the 
sins of his father" (1 Kings 15:3). 

When King Abijah confidently ascended the 
throne he seems to have immediately "set 
the battle in array" against the king of 
Israel. In the engagement which followed, 



66 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Abijah and his army were victorious, and 
Israel suffered a defeat from which it ap- 
pears they did not recover for some years. 
Several cities, including Bethel, were taken 
by Judah. 

Asa 

At the death of Abijah, Asa, his son, took 
the throne. Asa reigned forty-one years. He 
was a good king and instituted extensive re- 
forms. He purged the land of idolatry and 
followed the commandments of the Lord with 
his whole heart. His reign was largely 
peaceful. He erred in making an alliance 
with a heathen king instead of trusting God 
(2 Chron. 16:8-10). 

Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah 

At the death of Asa, Jehoshaphat, his son, 
became his successor. He ascended the 
throne when he was thirty-five years old and 
reigned twenty-five years. During the last 
four years of his life he reigned with his 
son, Jehoram. Jehoshaphat was distinguished 
by his zeal for true religion and his firm 
trust in God. He thoroughly cleansed the 
land from idolatry, and provided for the re- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 67 

ligious instruction of the people. The great 
error of his life was his alliance with the 
wicked Ahab. In an evil hour he agreed to 
ally the two kingdoms by the marriage of 
his son, Jehoram, with Athaliah, the in- 
famous daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. 
Athaliah was like her heathen mother, and 
the union was disastrous in the extreme to 
the kingdom of Judah. Jehoram was weak 
as well as wicked and was wholly under the 
influence of his heathen queen, and the 
licentious worship of Baal was soon intro- 
duced into Jerusalem and established over 
the country. The temple of Solomon was 
left to decay and ruin and that of Baal was 
increased in size and magnificence. Nor did 
Jehoram even bear a good character, apart 
from his idolatries. He was avaricious, 
cruel and bloodthirsty. No one regretted his 
death. Ahaziah, his son, succeeded to the 
throne for one year; then, while on a 
visit to his uncle in the northern kingdom, 
he was slain by Jehu in his zeal to extinguish 
the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:27). 

Athaliah, the Usurper 

As soon as Athaliah heard of the death of 



68 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Ahaziah she at once usurped the throne and 
ordered all the male members of the royal 
family put to death. But Joash, the infant 
son of Ahaziah, was spared and when seven 
years of age was raised to the throne Yj the 
high priest, Jehoiada, and Athaliah was put 
to death. 

Joash 

Joash reigned forty years. While Jehoiada 
lived, during a little more than half of his 
reign, the young king did very well and many 
reform movements were undertaken, but dur- 
ing the last part of his reign he sank to the 
level of his idolatrous surroundings. He be- 
came grossly wicked and finally, his body 
racked with disease, was murdered by his 
servants. 

Amaziah, Azariah 

At the death of Joash, Amaziah, his son, 
succeeded to the throne. His reign lasted 
twenty-nine years. "He did that which was 
right in the sight of the Lord, but not with 
a perfect heart." At the death of Amaziah, 
his sixteen-year-old son, Azariah, or Uzziah, 
was made king. He reigned fifty-two years. 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 69 

The first part of his reign was prosperous 
and happy, but afterward, presuming to 
offer incense in the temple, he was smitten 
with leprosy, and continued a leper till his 
death. 

Jotham 

Following Uzziah came Jotham, his son, 
who reigned sixteen years and "did that 
which was right in the sight of the Lord." 

Ahaz 

At the death of Jotham, Ahaz, his son, be- 
came king. He was very wicked. His reign 
continued sixteen years. The kingdom had 
begun to decline during the latter part of 
Uzziah's reign, but it grew rapidly worse 
during the reign of Ahaz, who introduced the 
worst forms of idolatry among the people. 
The kingdom also suffered politically. The 
surrounding nations took away much of its 
territory. Jerusalem itself was besieged, and 
a great multitude of the country people were 
carried away and sold as slaves in Damas- 
cus (2 Chron. 28:5). Ahaz died in the 
prime of life, unhonored, detested, disgraced. 



70 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Hezekiah 

At the death of Ahaz, Hezekiah, his son, 
became king. He began to reign when twenty- 
five years old, and his reign lasted twenty- 
nine years. He was one of the noblest kings 
of Judah. He had much against him, but 
proved himself brave and skilful and devoted 
to the right. He took Isaiah, the prophet, for 
his counselor, and the Jewish rabbis say 
Isaiah w r as his tutor. He had the good sense 
to see the evil effect of his father's wicked 
reign and to take an opposite course. He 
began immediately to inaugurate reforms 
which were thorough and far-reaching in 
their results. 

The Fall of Samaria 

In the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah, 
Samaria fell and Israel w^as carried away 
captive. 

Manasseh 

At Hezekiah's death, Manasseh, his twelve- 
year-old son, occupied the throne. His reign 
continued for fifty-five years. He was very 
w T icked. His career of crime surpassed even 
the sins of his grandfather, Ahaz. The good 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 71 

work his father had done was worse than 
wasted. He led the people down into the 
lowest depths of wickedness. He paid no at- 
tention to the warnings of the prophets, until 
at last the Lord permitted him to be taken 
by the Assyrians and carried in chains to 
Babylon. There he repented, and the Lord 
had mercy upon him. His supplication was 
heard and he was restored to his kingdom. 
He inaugurated reforms, but there was no 
thorough religious reformation among the 
people. 

Anion 

At the death of Manasseh, his son, Amon, 
succeeded to the kingdom. He followed in the 
idolatrous footsteps of his father's earlier 
days, and after a reign of only two years was 
slain by his servants in his own house, and 
his young son, Josiah, was made his suc- 
cessor. 

Josiah 

Josiah reigned thirty-one years. He was 
a good king and "walked in the ways of 
David, his father." Great reform movements 
were at once instituted, the land was purged 



72 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

of idolatry and the temple repaired. Josiah 
was slain in battle. 

Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim 

At the death of Josiah, Jehoahaz, his son, 
reigned three months. He "did evil in the sight 
of the Lord." He was carried to Egypt by 
Necho, and Jehoiakim, his brother, was 
made king. He reigned eleven years and 
proved to be a wicked ruler. 

The Captivity of Judah 

The captivity of Judah began at different 
times and had various endings. The first 
captivity occurred about the end of the third 
year or the beginning of the fourth year of 
Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Jer. 25:1; Dan. 
1:1). At that time, B. C. 605, the young 
king Nebuchadnezzar, in the first year of his 
reign, came against Jerusalem. It was then 
that Daniel and his friends were carried cap- 
tive to Babylon (Dan. 1:1-6). This was the 
beginning of the seventy years' captivity 
foretold by Jeremiah. During the remainder 
of Jehoiakim's reign he was a vassal of the 
king of Babylon. 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS T6 

Jehoiachin 

The second captivity took place during the 
reign of Jehoiachin, B. C. 598. He was the 
son of Jehoiakim and ascended the throne 
when eighteen years of age (2 Kings 24:i8). 
He reigned only three months and ten days. 
He seems to have rebelled against Babylon, 
for again Nebuchadnezzar came and captured 
Jerusalem and took much treasure and ten 
thousand captives to Babylon (2 Kings 
24: 10-16). The prophet Ezekiel and King Je- 
hoiachin were among the number. Jehoiachin 
lay in prison in Babylon about thirty-six 
years before being released. 

Zedekiah 

After Jehoiachin was deposed Nebu- 
chadnezzar made Zedekiah king of Judah, 
and in the ninth year of his reign the third 
and last captivity took place, and Jerusalem 
was destroyed. The Lord might have done to 
Nebuchadnezzar's army what he did to 
Sennacherib's host (2 Kings 19:35, 36), but 
the time had come for punishment — the cup 
of iniquity was full. 



74 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 



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76 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

V. THE PERIOD OF FOREIGN RULERS 

This period extends from the captivity of 
Judah to the birth of Christ, covering five 
hundred and eighty-three years, from B. 0. 
587 to B. C. 4. 

During the fifth period of Old Testament 
history Judea was almost continuously 
under subjection to some foreign power. We 
therefore call it the period of Foreign Kulers. 



Leading Events 

1. The return of Judah from captivity, 
B. C. 536. 

2. The rebuilding of the temple under 
Zerubbabel, governor of Judea. The temple 
was completed in B. C. 516. 

3. Beforms under Ezra and Nehemiah. 

4. The close of old Testament prophecy. 
The last chapter of Nehemiah corresponds 
with the prophecy of Malachi. The last 
chapter of Bible history, and the last chapter 
of Bible prophecy belong to the same time. 

For fifty years after the captivity the 
tribe of Judah continued to serve their cap- 
tors in Babylonia. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 77 

The Return from Captivity 

In B. C. 538 Cyrus took Babylon and two 
years later, in B. C. 536, Judah was per- 
mitted to return to Jerusalem. The ten 
tribes never returned. They were scattered 
and their identity lost. 

The Persian Supremacy 

During the next two hundred years, while 
the Persians were in authority, the Jews 
were permitted to manage their own govern- 
ment, under the general direction of the Per- 
sian kings. 

The Greek Supremacy 

Following the Persian rule came the Greek 
Supremacy. Alexander the Great conquered 
the Persian Empire in B. C. 330. Although 
Alexander's empire lasted less than ten 
years, his successors continued in control for 
nearly three hundred years. During the first 
half of this time the Jews quietly submitted to 
Grecian authority, but the oppression became 
unendurable when Antiochus Epiphanes, 
the Greek king of Syria, endeavored to force 
heathen practises upon them. Then came re- 
volt. 



78 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS 

The Maccahean Independence 

Mattathias, an aged priest, and his 
five sons led a national uprising against the 
Syrian king. Judas, one of the sons of Mat- 
tathias, surnamed Maccabseus (the "ham- 
merer"), succeeded to the leadership and 
gathered a small army, and two years later, 
B. C. 166, defeated the Syrians in a decisive 
battle. The temple was then rededicated 
and the worship of God restored. For more 
than a century Judea had rest and was ruled 
by a line of princes called Maccabeans. 

The Roman Supremacy 

The Eoman supremacy followed and there- 
after the Jewish province was under Eoman 
domination until the time of Christ and the 
destruction of Jerusalem by the Koman gov- 
ernor, Titus. 



VII. 

THE OLD TESTAMENT SYSTEM OF 
WORSHIP 

Nearly everything in the Old Testament 
economy has its counterpart in the new. The 
altar, its offerings and the priests who offered 
them, the tabernacle and the temple and 
their furniture all point either directly or 
indirectly to Christ and to His spiritual king- 
dom which He came to set up in the hearts 
of men. 

The Altar 

The altar was an institution mentioned in 
connection with the earliest worship. It was 
made of various substances, but usually of 
earth or unhewn stone. The Christian's 
altar is Christ (Heb. 13:10). 

The Offerings 

The offerings were, 1. The sin-offering; 

79 



80 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

a blood offering. It was made as an atone- 
ment for the sinner. 2. The trespass- 
offering; a blood offering. This represented 
the forgiveness of the sinner who had 
broken the law. 3. The burnt-offering; a 
blood offering, the animal to be wholly 
burned on the altar. It typified the conse- 
cration of the worshiper to God. 4. The 
meat-offering (called in the Revised Version 
meal-offering) ; a vegetable offering. It was 
a thank-offering, expressing the idea of 
praise to God. 5. The peace-offering; a 
blood offering, but also consisting of vege- 
table food (Lev. 7:11-13). It signified 
friendship and communion with God and 
His people. 

The Priesthood 

Around the priest the whole system of 
Jewish worship revolved. The office of the 
priest was threefold: (1) To offer sacrifices; 
(2) to act as mediator and intercessor be- 
tween God and the people; (3) to give in- 
struction with respect to God and His law. 
At first the head of a family acted as priest 
Moses set aside the house of Aaron of the 
tribe of Levi to serve in this capacity. The 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 81 

Levites assisted the priests and did the or- 
dinary work. The high priest was at the 
head of all the priests and of all religious 
affairs. David divided the priests into 
twenty-four courses, and these served in 
turn a week at a time. The "chief priests" 
of Christ's time were the heads of the courses 
and ex-high priests, the office of high priest 
at that time being no longer held for life but 
subject to frequent changes. 

The Tabernacle 

There were three apartments: the court, 
the sanctuary, called also the holy place, and 
the holy of holies. The outer court which 
was accessible to all the Israelites was one 
hundred cubits by fifty, or, if a cubit was 
eighteen inches, one hundred and fifty feet 
by seventy-five. It was surrounded by screens 
seven and one-half feet high and contained 
three articles : the altar of burnt-offering, the 
laver and the tabernacle proper. The taber- 
nacle was forty-five feet long, fifteen broad 
and ten high. It consisted of two apartments, 
the sanctuary on the east and the holy of 
holies at the west end, separated by a cur- 
tain. The sanctuary was thirty feet long, 



82 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

fifteen wide, and fifteen high and contained 
three articles : the altar of incense, the can- 
dlestick, and the table of showbread. The 
holy of holies was a cube, fifteen feet each 
way, and contained the ark of the covenant 
which consisted of three parts: the ark 
proper, the lid, called the "mercy-seat," and 
the cherubim, one cherub being at one end 
of the lid and one at the other. The ark 
contained three articles: the tables of the 
law, Aaron's rod that budded, and a pot of 
manna. Over the sanctuary and holy of 
holies an outer tent was pitched. The taber- 
nacle, its construction and furnishings were 
shown to Moses in the mount and are sym- 
bolical. The meaning of a portion of these 
symbols is revealed in Paul's Epistle to the 
Hebrews. 



The Three Temples 

After the Israelitish nation had left their 
tent life and had become organized and pros- 
perous, the Lord put it into the hearts of 
His servants to build Him a house which 
should take the place of the tabernacle. 
There have been three temples, all located 




4 



- - ■ ^ " fi/ : ; i |.V"..i !■!,•" 



sf 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 83 

on Mount Moriah. They were similarly con- 
structed, but varied in details. 

1. Solomon's temple, erected about one 
thousand years before Christ. Its gen- 
eral plan was similar to the tabernacle, 
but its dimensions were double. There 
were three courts, the court of the 
Gentiles, the court of Israel, the eastern part 
of which was the court of the women, and 
the court of the priests. The material used 
in the temple and *the furniture and sacred 
utensils w r ere all very costly. This temple 
was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 587. 

2. ZerubbabePs temple, built after the 
return from the captivity, completed B. C. 
516. Its dimensions were greater but it was 
inferior to Solomon's temple in glory. The 
ark of the covenant and the breastplate of 
the high priest with the Urim and Thummim 
were no longer with Israel. 

3. Herod's temple. Herod the Great 
enlarged and beautified the temple and gave 
it his name. The work was begun a few 
years before Christ and w T as not completed 
until a few years before it w r as destroyed by 
the Romans, under Titus, A. D. 70. 

The tabernacle, and later the temple, were 



84 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

God's dwelling place among His people. To- 
day His people are His temple. 

The Synagogue 

Synagogue means "an assembly" and re- 
fers both to the institution and to the build- 
ing used. Synagogues were first organized dur- 
ing the captivity, probably by Ezra. After 
the captivity they came into general use. 
A synagogue could only be erected where 
ten men, heads of families, could be found to 
attend. It is said that in Jerusalem alone 
there were between four hundred and sixty 
and four hundred and eighty synagogue^. 
They were the center of Jewish religious and 
educational life. 

The Three Great Feasts 

1. The Passover, frequently called "the 
feast of unleavened bread." This festival 
was held on the fifteenth day of Abib, or 
Nisan (March- April), and continued one 
week. All leaven was removed from the 
Jew r ish houses and the paschal lamb was 
slain, roasted and eaten. Special sacrifices 
were appointed for each day. The entire 
week was a time of rejoicing. It commem- 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 85 

orated the departure of the children of 
Israel from Egypt. 

2. The Pentecost, meaning "fiftieth/' 
called also "the feast of weeks/' and "the 
feast of harvest." It was celebrated on the 
fiftieth day after the second day of the feast' 
of the Passover (Lev. 23:11, 15, 16), or 
fifty days after the sixteenth of Nisan, which 
would fall on the sixth of Sivan (May- June). 
The festival continued only one day. It was 
a day of thanksgiving for the grain harvest, 
and the "first fruits" were offered to the 
Lord. Special bloody sacrifices were also 
prescribed. It also commemorated the giv- 
ing of the law at Mount Sinai, fifty days 
after leaving Egypt. 

3. The feast of Tabernacles. This festival 
was held each year on the fifteenth day of 
the seventh month, the month Tisri (Sep- 
tember-October) . It continued one w r eek. The 
first and last days were sacredly kept as sab- 
baths. The festival commemorated the wil- 
derness life, and was a time of national 
thanksgiving, held after the harvest had been 
gathered (Exod. 23:16). During the entire 
week the people lived in booths which were 
erected everywhere in Jerusalem. These 



St> HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

booths were made from the branches of trees. 
At night the city was illuminated by several 
great candelabra, which were set up in the 
middle of^ the court of the women. The last 
day was the great day of the feast and was 
observed with great rejoicing. Water was 
brought in a golden pitcher from Siloam and 
together with the wine of the drink-offering 
was poured out with great ceremony at the 
altar of burnt-offering, amid the shouts of 
the multitude. It was one of the grandest 
ceremonies of the entire Jewish ritual. The 
rabbis used to say that he who had not been 
present at this ceremony did not know what 
rejoicing meant. 

The Three Lesser Feasts 

1. The feast of Trumpets, held on the 
first day of Tisri, the seventh month of the 
ecclesiastical year, and the first month of the 
civil year. It was, therefore, a New Year's 
festival. It was proclaimed by the blowing 
of trumpets. Special sacrifices were offered 
during the day. 2. The feast of Dedica- 
tion, on the twenty-fifth day of Chisleu (De- 
cember). It commemorated the restoration 
and rededication of the temple, B. C. 164. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 87 

The festival continued eight days. 3. The 
feast of Purim, on the fourteenth and fif- 
teenth of Adar (February-March). It com- 
memorated the deliverance of the Jews from 
the destruction plotted by Haman. 

Additional Institutions 

In addition to these festivals the Jews 
observed the Sabbath, the Sabbatical Year, 
and the Year of Jubilee. On the Sabbath 
the daily sacrifices were doubled and all 
work prohibited. The Christian's Sabbath, 
'or Sunday, is the Lord's Day, the resurrec- 
tion day, the day on which the Holy Spirit 
was poured out on the people at the usher- 
ing in of this dispensation. 

The Sabbatical Year was an agricultural 
Sabbath. Every seventh year the land was 
left untilled, slaves were released (Exod. 21: 
2-6) and debtors set free (Deut. 15:1-6). 
On this year the fruit belonged to the poor. 

The Year of Jubilee was a further carry- 
ing out of this same principle of rest. 
Every fiftieth year mortgaged property was 
returned to its original owner and slaves 
were liberated. See Lev. 25:8-16, 23-35; 
27 : 16-25. 



88 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Day of Atonement 

The Day of Atonement, on the tenth of the 
month Tisri, was the only annual fast 
day prescribed by the Mosaic law. All 
other public days were festival and joyous. 
The day was kept as a sabbath and all were 
obliged to cease from work and "afflict their 
souls" (Lev. 16:29). According to Jewish 
tradition great preparations were made for 
its proper observance. Seven days in ad- 
vance the high priest was shut up in the 
sanctuary, lest he might become ceremonially 
defiled. The elders spent a part of each day 
reading to him and instructing him in the 
ritual, so as to make sure that he could 
rightly perform all the ceremonies. During 
the services of the day he underwent five 
baths and ten washings of consecration of 
hands and feet. The whole number of sacri- 
ficial animals offered was fifteen. It was the 
only day in the year in which the holy of holies 
could be entered and then only by the high 
priest. He made an atonement first for his 
own sins and then for the sins of all the 
people. 



VIII. 
BIBLE SYMBOLISM 

The Bible furnishes a great wealth of il- 
lustrative material. Its symbols are so 
numerous and its illustrations so varied and 
striking that it is like a vast field from which 
good things may be repeatedly gleaned. 

We have gathered the following from var- 
ious sources; special credit should be given 
to Sim's "Helps to Bible Study/' where the 
subject is exhaustively treated. It should 
be remembered that a type is not typical 
in every particular. 

Symbolism of Number 

Three represents Diety; four, God's king- 
dom on earth; seven (the sum of three and 
four), the union of God and man — the in- 
finite and the finite; ten, completeness. 

Persons 

The high priest represented Christ; priests 

89 



90 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

were the symbol of all true believers (1 Pet. 
2:9; Rev. 1:6) ; the Christian is also referred 
to as being a king, and thus possesses king- 
ship; woman, as daughter, virgin, wife, is 
typical of the church; hands represent ac- 
tions; the right hand, 'power. 

Vegetable Substances 

The palm tree represents royalty and pros- 
perity; the apple tree, f ruitf ulness ; olive, 
fatness; wild olive, man by nature (Rom. 
11:17); willow, sorrow; cedar, strength, 
hence great men (Zech. 11:12); branch, off- 
spring ; lily, beauty ; hyssop, purification ; oil, 
joy; myrrh, grief ; incense, intercession ; corn 
and wine, plenty; vine, usually the church, 
also Christ (John 15:1); leaves, outward 
appearance; root, origin, also humiliation; 
grass, that which is insignificant ; husks and 
chaff, worthlessness ; brambles and thistles, 
evil influences; reed, weakness. 

Mineral Substances 

Gold represents kingliness ; precious 
stones, rank and high privileges; brass, 
strength; rock, strength, shelter; brimstone, 



HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 91 

torture; salt, that which is unchangeable or 
incorruptible; iron, severity. 

Birds and Animals 

The lion represents strength, dominion; 
the ox, submission; the eagle, vision, motion, 
power; the dove, the Holy Spirit; the lamb, 
Christ; dog, uncleanness; leopard, deceitful 
foe; fox, deception; horn, power; blood, life. 

Color 

White represents purity; black, famine, 
affliction; red, war and bloodshed; blue, 
heavenliness ; purple, kingliness. 

From Nature 

Sun, moon, stars represent kings, queens, 
princes; the setting sun or moon, turning of 
the moon into blood, stars falling represent 
the ceasing or downfall of a kingdom (Isa. 
24:23; Ezek. 32:7); light and darkness 
represent joy and sorrow, prosperity and 
adversity, knowledge and ignorance (Isa. 9: 
2; 59:9); dew, moderate rains, gentle 
streams and running waters represent the 
blessings of the gospel (Isa. 26:19; 27:3; 
44:3); immoderate rains, hail, floods, deep 



92 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

waters represent judgments and destruction 
(Ezek. 38:22; Jer. 47:2; Isa. 28:17); fire, 
God's wrath, also the cleansing power of the 
Holy Spirit; wind and east wind, destruc- 
tion; Lebanon and cedars of Lebanon, 
majesty and strength; Carmel, beauty and 
fertility. 

Miscellaneous Symbols 

Dust represents frailty; an anchor, hope; 
leprosy, sin; blindness, unbelief; harvest, 
present opportunity ; key, power and author- 
ity; gates, the seat of power; hunger and 
thirst, intense desire; life, union with God; 
death, separation from God. 



IX. 

PALESTINE 

The principal events of Bible history took 
place in Palestine. It is therefore highly 
important that the Bible student should have 
a thorough knowledge of this interesting 
country. 

Names 

Palestine has had four names. At first 
it was called Canaan. After Joshua's con- 
quest it was called Israel, although after the 
division of the kingdom Israel referred to the 
northern kingdom, the southern kingdom be- 
ing called Judah. After the captivity it was 
called Judah. The modern name is Palestine. 

Ettent 

In extent, including the territory on the 
east of the Jordan, its extreme length 
was about one hundred and eighty 

93 



94 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

miles and its average width was about 
sixty miles. It contained about ten thousand 
square miles, but varied in size at different 
periods. Its general form and dimensions 
have been compared to New Hampshire. 

Position 

Its position on the map made it prominent. 
Palestine afforded the one roadw r ay between 
Egypt and Assyria, and was the connecting 
link between Europe, Asia and Africa. 

Natural Divisions 

It is a mountainous country and has four 
natural divisions: 1. The Maritime Plain 
extending along the coast of the Mediter- 
ranean Sea. 2. The Mountainous Region run- 
ning also north and south, east of this plain. 
3. The broad bottom of the Jordan Valley 
through which the Jordan rushes to the Dead 
Sea. 4. The table-land on the east of the 
Jordan which gradually slopes eastward to 
the great desert beyond it. 

Provinces 

At the time of Christ Palestine included 
four provinces, Judea, Samaria and Galilee 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 95 

on the west of the Jordan and Perea on the 

east. 

Judea 

1. Judea, the most important province, on 
the south. Its leading city was Jerusalem, 
for centuries the hub around which the Jew- 
ish world revolved. This city is thirty-two 
miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and 
eighteen miles west of the north end of the 
Dead Sea. It was built on five mountains — 
Mount Zion, Mount Acra, Mount Bezetha, 
Mount Moriah, and Mount Ophal. The king's 
palace was on Mount Zion and the temple 
on Mount Moriah. Its general elevation is 
about 2,500 feet above the level of the sea. 
Jerusalem had three valleys and three walls. 
There was the valley of the Kedron, called 
also the valley of Jehoshaphat, on the east, 
the valley of Hinnom on the west and south, 
and the valley of the Tyroposon extending 
into the city in a northwesterly direction 
from the southern end of Mount Moriah, the 
three valleys uniting southeast of the city. 
Its population has varied greatly in differ- 
ent periods. At present it is a Turkish city 



96 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

with a population estimated at from fifty 
to eighty thousand. 

Other cities of Judea were Hebron, twenty- 
five miles south of Jerusalem, one of the most 
ancient cities in the world; Gaza, fifty miles 
southwest of Jerusalem, where Samson per- 
formed exploits and afterward perished 
under the ruins of the vast temple; Joppa, 
the principal seaport of Palestine; Jericho, 
in the Jordan valley near the north end ot 
the Dead Sea, and Bethlehem and Bethany, 
two of the homes of Jesus near Jerusalem. 

Samaria 

2. Samaria, north of Judea. The Samari- 
tans were a mixed race, having sprung from 
the remnant of Israel and the heathen 
brought in from various parts of Assyria at 
the time of the captivity (2 Kings 17:24-41). 
The principal cities of this province were 
Samaria, its capital, and Caesarea, on the 
Mediterranean Sea, the Roman capital of 
Judah for many years. 

Galilee 

3. Galilee, on the north. Here Christ 
lived at Nazareth from infancy until thirty 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEES 97 

years of age. During much of His public 
ministry He made Capernaum, a city on 
the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee, 
His home. It was there that He performed 
many of His wonderful works. Two im- 
portant cities were Ptolemais, on the Medi- 
terranean, the chief seaport of Galilee, and 
Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, a city founded 
by Herod Antipas and by him made his 
capital. 

Perea 

4. Perea, meaning "beyond," on the east 
of the Jordan. It was inhabited during the 
New Testament times by Jews among whom 
were many Gentiles. 

Decapolis 

North of Perea, east of the Sea of Galilee, 
there was a province without a well estab- 
lished name. It embraced the Tetrarchy of 
Herod Philip. It is sometimes called De- 
capolis, but this is not strictly correct as 
applied to the province, as Decapolis means 
"the land of the ten cities," and not all of- 
these cities were in the province. 



98 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

The Lebanon Range 

The most important mountain range in 
Palestine is the Lebanon range, a chain of 
mountains on the north, consisting of two 
main ridges running northeast and south- 
west. The extreme length is one hundred 
miles and the width twenty miles. The west- 
ern ridge is called Lebanon, the eastern ridge, 
Anti-Lebanon. Its highest peak has an alti- 
tude of over ten thousand feet, the average 
height being about six thousand feet. Mount 
Hermon, the scene of the Transfiguration, is 
in the southern part of the Anti-Lebanon 
range. It is about forty miles northeast of 
the Sea of Galilee and is ten thousand feet 
high. 

Waters of Palestine 

Palestine has four bodies of water, one 
river and numerous brooks. 

1. The Mediterranean Sea on the west. 
It is 2,250 miles long and 1,200 miles at its 
greatest width. It eovers an area of one 
million square miles. 

2. The Dead Sea in the south. It is 
forty-six miles long and more than ten miles 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 99 

at its greatest width. It has no outlet and 
its waters are very salt and bitter. 

3. The Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, also 
called the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1) 
and the Sea of Chinnereth or Chinneroth 
(Num. 34: 11). In a straight line it is about 
sixty-five miles north of the Dead Sea. It 
is thirteen miles long and from four to seven 
miles wide. In Christ's time there were nine 
towns on its shores. Only two of these towns 
survive and the country is neglected and 
barren. But the sea remains, hallowed by 
the many scenes described in the gospels. 

"How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, 
O Sea of Galilee, 
For the glorious One who came to save 
Hath often stood by thee." 

4. Lake Merom (Josh. 11:5), now Huleh, 
about nine miles north of the Sea of Galilee. 
It is between three and four miles in length 
and about the same in breadth and is very 
shallow. 

5. The Jordan River. It has its source 
in Mount Hermon and flows through Lake 
Merom and the Sea of Galilee, emptying into 
the Dead Sea. Its length by a direct course 



100 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

from the snows of Hernion is less than one 
hundred and forty miles, but because of its 
winding course it is actually more than two 
hundred miles long. It makes a descent of 
three thousand feet. 

Population, Soil, Climate 

The population of Palestine was very 
dense. The soil and climate were highly 
favorable. It was described as being a land 
"flowing with milk and honey;" but this is 
in striking contrast with its present barren- 
ness and desolation. There are, however, 
some parts of Palestine which are still 
fruitful, and wherever the soil is properly 
cultivated it yields an abundant harvest. 



X. 

JOHN THE BAPTIST 

John the Baptist is supposed to have been 
born at Juttah, a city five miles south of 
Hebron in the hill country of Judea. He 
was six months older than Jesus. He was 
of the priestly race by both parents. Eliza- 
beth, his mother, and Mary, the mother of 
Jesus, were cousins. His birth was foretold 
by an angel, who also proclaimed his char- 
acter and office. All that we know of his 
life, from his infancy to the time of his pub- 
lic ministry, is contained in Luke 1 : 80 : 
"And the child grew, and waxed strong in 
spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of 
his showing unto Israel." 

When thirty years of age John suddenly 
appeared as a reformer, a prophet, and the 
forerunner of Christ. He was a priest by 
birth but a Nazarite in appearance, dress, 
food and mode of life. He dressed in coarse 

101 



102 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

garments and ate coarse food. He was like 
a reproduction of Elijah of old and stood 
ont in sharp contrast with the spirit and 
manners of his time. 

John began to preach in the summer of 
A. D. 26. His great work was to bear testi- 
mony to Christ and prepare the way for His 
coming. His preaching awakened the con- 
sciences of men and led them to repentance. 
He spoke with authority and his success was 
marked. He proclaimed that a new dis- 
pensation was at hand (Matt. 3:2), and this 
was believed to refer to the Messiah. 

In January, A. D. 27, Jesus came to John 
to be baptized, probably at the fords of the 
Jordan at Bethabara. The Baptist at once 
pointed out the Savior as the Lamb of God, 
the Messiah. As a preacher John's popular- 
ity among the masses continued to increase 
until the Jews sent a delegation to ask him 
if he were not the Messiah. His courage 
knew no bounds. When Herod Antipas at- 
tended his ministry John denounced the sins 
of the king in the most fearless manner. 
This angered Herod's wife who eventually 
caused John's arrest and imprisonment. For 
a whole rear John was confined in Castle 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEBS 103 

Machaerus, a short distance east of the north 
end of the Dead Sea. John had decreased, 
Christ had increased — the year of John's 
prison life was the year of Christ's greatest 
popularity. At last John was led out to his 
death; but he was ready, for his mission had 
been accomplished and his work was ended. 



XL 
THE LIFE OF CHRIST 

The life of Christ is usually divided into 
five periods. The first period is commonly 
called the "Period of Preparation." It em- 
braces the first thirty years of His life, clos- 
ing with A. D. 26. 

The second period, which was the first 
year of His active ministry, A. D. 27, 
is called the "Year of Obscurity." 

The third period, the second year of His 
ministry, A. D. 28, is called the "Year of 
Popularity." 

The fourth period, the third year of His 
ministry, A. D. 29, is called the "Year of 
Opposition." 

The fifth period is called the "Year of 
Death," and closed at His ascension, in 
May, A. D. 30. 

We now proceed to study this remarkable 
life, chronologically, by periods. 

104 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 105 
I. THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 

Date of Birth 

While the birth of our Lord is somewhat 
uncertain, yet there is no reason why it may 
not have occurred on December 25, B. C. 5, 
the date now universally accepted. But 
why do we say that Jesus was born "before 
Christ?" Simply because our calendar is 
incorrect. For some centuries after Christ's 
time there was no calendar in general use, 
but each nation dated from some event in 
its history. Finally, in the sixth century, a 
learned monk, Dionysius Exiguus, was ap- 
pointed to ascertain the time of our Savior's 
birth, and it was ordered that history should 
be dated from that time. But Dionysius, 
who first published his calculations in A. D. 
526, made a mistake and put the birth of 
Jesus about four years too late. As it Is 
impossible to correct the calendar we are 
obliged to say that Christ was born four 
years and one week B. C. 

Early Life 

When the Savior was eight days old He 
, was circumcised and named "Jesus." When 



106 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

He was forty days old His parents took Him 
to the temple for the purpose of offering the 
sacrifices which the law required and pre- 
senting Him to the Lord. From Jerusalem 
they returned to Bethlehem. Then came the 
visit from the wise men, the flight into 
Egypt, and, after the death of Herod, the re- 
turn to Nazareth. Jesus was twelve years 
old in December, A. D. 8. Early in April, 
A. D. 9, when He was between twelve and 
thirteen years old, His parents took Him to 
Jerusalem to attend the Passover. Of the 
boyhood of Jesus we know nothing save what 
is recorded in Luke 2 : 40-52. He was a virtu- 
ous, obedient boy, and even in childhood was 
a perfect pattern for others to follow. Fol- 
lowing this visit to Jerusalem there are 
eighteen unnoted years in His life, which 
were spent with his parents at Nazareth. 

II. THE YEAR OF OBSCURITY — A. D. 27 
Baptism 

Christ's first public act as He was about 
to enter upon His active ministry was to 
journey from Nazareth to the Jordan and 
present Himself to John for Baptism. John, 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 107 

conscious of his own unworthiness, hesitated, 
but Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so now: for 
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteous- 
ness." Our Savior was thirty years old at 
this time. This was the age when priests 
entered upon their ministry (Num. 4:3), and 
the rabbis began to teach. Christ's baptism 
was a profession on His part that as an Isra- 
elite, He became subject to the law. It was 
an endorsement of John and a solemn inau- 
guration into His ministry. 

Temptations 

Immediately after His baptism Jesus was 
led up into the wilderness where He was 
tempted of the devil. The traditional site 
of the temptations is Mount Quarantania, 
a short distance northw r est of Jericho. The 
account of these temptations must have come 
from our Lord Himself. Tested at every 
point, he remained true, thus proving Him- 
self worthy to be the Messiah. 

First Disciples 

Jesus now returned to Bethabara and be- 
gan the selection of His disciples. This was 
a very important matter. It was necessary 



108 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

that there should be witnesses of His life 
and ministry, who would be able to carry on 
the work of His kingdom after His de- 
parture. Christ chose men of simple habits 
who were not bound by the traditions of the 
rabbinic schools. 

The first disciples (John 1:15-51) were 
Andrew, John, Peter, James, Philip and 
Nathanael (also called Bartholomew). Jesus 
took these chosen followers and journeyed 
from Bethabara to Galilee. 

First Miracle 

On arriving at His home in Nazareth, 
Jesus found that His mother was in Cana 
attending a wedding. NathanaePs home be- 
ing in Cana, they continued their journey to 
that place; whereupon Jesus and His 
disciples were invited to the wedding. Here 
He performed His first miracle, turning 
water into wine. After the wedding the 
Savior left Cana with His mother and His 
brethren and went down to Capernaum, 
about twenty miles to the northeast, on the 
Sea of Galilee, where He remained a few 
days (John 2:12). 



HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 109 

First PasSOVer 

From Capernaum Jesus went to Jerusalem 
to attend the first Passover of His ministry 
(John 2:13). At Jerusalem He asserted His 
authority by cleansing the temple of the 
traders. He also delivered to Mcodemus 
His first recorded discourse. The Synoptists 
are silent respecting any visit of Christ to 
the Passover from His twelfth year until 
His death, and it is Saint John alone who 
mentions this earliest Passover and gives us 
any particulars. 

It should be remembered that there were 
two cleansings of the temple: one at the be- 
ginning of Christ's public ministry, and one 
three years later, at its close. Reference to 
the first cleansing is made in Matt. 26 : 59- 
61; Mark 14:57-59. The account of the 
second cleansing is recorded in Matt. 21:12, 
13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45, 46. 

At this time John the Baptist was bap- 
tizing at Aenon, near Salem, the exact 
locality of which is not known. 

May to December 

After attending the Passover, Jesus and 
His followers left Jerusalem and spent 



110 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

nearly eight months in Judea. This is 
called the great Judean ministry. Probably 
in December our Lord took His disciples and 
started for Galilee. Their route lay through 
Samaria. At Jacob's well, near Sychar, 
Jesus preached the gospel to the Samaritans 
and made many converts (John 4:1-42). 
After remaining two days in Samaria He 
continued His journey northward and came 
to Cana of Galilee, where ten months or so 
previous He had wrought a miracle at a wed- 
ding. While here He healed a nobleman's 
son who was sick in Capernaum. This was 
the closing event in the first year of Christ's 
public ministry. 

III. THE YEAR OP POPULARITY/ — A. D. 28 

In Jerusalem 

About three months after the healing of 
the nobleman's son at Capernaum Jesus 
again returned to Jerusalem to attend a 
feast. It is supposed that this interval was 
occupied with labors in Galilee of which no 
record is left ; the disciples may have gone to 
their homes. At Jerusalem the Savior 
healed an impotent man at the Pool of 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 111 

Bethesda on the Sabbath day (John 5: 1-18). 
It is not known what feast this was. Ancient 
writers say it was the Passover, but recent 
writers think it must have been the feast of 
Purim, which was celebrated on the four- 
teenth and fifteenth of Adar (March- April). 

Great Galilean Ministry Begins 

Hearing of the imprisonment of John 
Jesus returned to Galilee and began the 
great Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14, 15), 
which lasted about one year and nine months. 
He was rejected by His own countrymen at 
Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30), after which He 
went to Capernaum and made that city His 
home and headquarters during His stay in 
Galilee. It is called His own city (Matt. 
9:1), and here as a citizen He paid the half 
shekel (Matt. 17:24). On His first Sabbath 
day in the city He healed all the sick who 
came to Him (Matt. 8:14-17; Mark 1:21-34; 
Luke 4:31-41). 

Our Lord then took His disciples and made 
a tour of eastern Galilee, preaching the 
gospel, healing diseases and casting out 
devils as He went. One leper was healed who 
published His healing to such an extent that 



112 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 

Jesus could not openly enter "a city" (Mark 
1:45, R. V.) for some time. When He again 
entered Capernaum Jesus healed a para- 
lytic and forgave his sins (Matt. 9:2-8). 
Shortly after this Jesus called Levi (Mat- 
thew), the publican, to be a disciple (Mark 
2:13-22). He then asserted His authority 
as Lord of the Sabbath day, and on that 
day healed a man having a withered hand 
(Mark 2:23 to 3:6). Then followed the 
choosing of the twelve apostles and the Ser- 
mon on the Mount; but from Luke 6:12 we 
learn that preceding these important doings 
our Savior spent the night in prayer. (These 
events as recorded by Matthew are not in 
order. See Matt. 9:9; 12:1-8; 12:9-14; 
10:2-4.) 

Sermon on the Mount 

The Sermon on the Mount is the most re- 
markable sermon on record. It contains 
truth suited to all classes and applicable 
at all times. Herein the principles of 
the new kingdom are enunciated with great 
clearness and power. According to tradition 
the sermon was preached on a square shaped 
hill with two tops, which give it the modern 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 113 

name of the "Horns of Hattin," Hattin being 
the village on the ridge at its base. The hill 
rises sixty feet above the plain and is situ- 
ated near the center of the west coast of the 
Sea of Galilee, a little back from the sea. 

Miracles 

Following the Sermon on the Mount both 
Matthew and Luke record a series of mir- 
acles. Ten miracles are narrated by Mat- 
thew in the two chapters following the 
sermon. They are not arranged in chrono- 
logical order, but are apparently selected as 
specimens of Christ's works. Jesus proved 
His power and authority by what He did. 
The miracles wrought were God's seal and 
signature to His claim as "a teacher come 
from God." We have the record of thirty- 
six miracles which Christ performed. 

The Widow's Son Raised 

On His return to Capernaum Jesus healed 
the centurion's servant. The next day He 
started on a tour of southern Galilee. When 
He reached Nain He raised to life the 
widow's son, who was about to be buried. 
Probably at the same time and place He re- 



114 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEBS 

ceived the messengers from John the Baptist, 
and answered John's questions (Matt. 11:2- 
19). During this journey He ate at the house 
of a Pharisee and His feet were washed by 
a woman who was a sinner (Luke 7:36-50). 
When he returned He healed a dumb de- 
moniac. 

First Parables 

Jesus was strongly opposed by the Phari- 
sees, and left Capernaum and taught in par- 
ables by the sea. Among the first of our 
Lord's parables is that of the sower. This 
was the first of eight spoken on the same 
day (Matt. 13; Mark 4). From this time on, 
however, parables are very common, and no 
less than fifty-three are recorded by the 
evangelists. 

Stilling the Tempest 

At the close of the day's work Christ and 
His disciples sailed to the country of the 
Gadarenes on the east side of the Sea of 
Galilee. Jesus was weary and needed rest, 
and He knew that this could be best obtained 
in the solitude on the other side. During 
the voyage, while the Savior was asleep, a 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS lid 

great tempest arose, and they were in im- 
minent danger of shipwreck. In their dis- 
tress the disciples awoke Him and called for 
help. Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind 
and there was a great calm (Mark 4:35-41). 

Jairus Daughter Raised 

On the eastern shore of Galilee Christ met 
and healed a fierce demoniac. He then re- 
turned across the sea to Capernaum where 
He raised from the dead the daughter of 
Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue. 



XII. 

THE LIFE OF CHRIST 

(Continued) 

IV. THE YEAR OF OPPOSITION A. D. 29 

John Beheaded 

Early in A. D. 29, Christ gave the Twelve a 
charge and sent them forth to preach (Matt. 
9:35 to 11:1). While they were absent He 
Himself went on what is commonly called 
His third missionary tour, preaching the 
gospel through central Galilee. When the news 
reached the apostles that John the Baptist 
had been beheaded by Herod Antipas, they 
hastened to Jesus, meeting Him at Caper- 
naum. They at once all retired to the north- 
east shore of the Sea of Galilee to the lonely 
plain at the foot of the hills near Bethsaida, 
just outside of the dominions of Herod An- 
tipas. The multitudes followed them, coming 
from all directions. 

116 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 117 

Feeding the FiOe Thousand 

It was here that Jesus fed the five thou- 
sand. All who saw this wonderful miracle 
were so profoundly impressed w r ith it that 
they were quick to decide that this was the 
Messiah — the Prophet that should come into 
the world, according to the prediction of 
Moses (Deut. 18:15-18), Accordingly, they 
at once planned to take Jesus by force and 
make Him king. But our Lord knew that 
such a thing could not be, and that in a few 
hours this wave of popularity would subside 
and the Pharisees would be plotting against 
His life. 



Walking on the Water 

Jesus commanded the disciples to enter a 
boat and start for Capernaum. He then 
sent away the multitude and withdrew Him- 
self into a mountain, where He spent the 
night alone in prayer. In the "fourth 
watch" — between 3 and 6 a. m. — He came 
walking on the water to the disciples who 
were struggling with a head wind. After 
their fears had been allayed, Peter v/alked on 
the water to Jesus (Matt. 14:28-31). Then 



118 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

the wind ceased, "and immediately the ship 
was at the land whither they went." 

Discourses 

Christ landed in the morning at the Plain 
of Gennesaret (Matt. 14:34), but soon went 
to the synagogue in Capernaum. The news of 
His arrival was spread far and near, and 
His way was hindered by crowds, who had, 
as usual, brought their sick to the streets 
through which He was passing, in hopes that 
He would heal them (Mark 6: 53-55). When 
Jesus entered the synagogue He delivered an 
address on the bread of life (John 6:26-51), 
and at the same time, or about that time, He 
delivered a discourse on pollution, in which 
He attacked their traditions (Mark 7:1-23), 
and drew the line so distinctly between Him- 
self and His religion, and the effete, Phari- 
saical religion of the Jews, that the people 
and certain of the scribes and Pharisees from 
Jerusalem turned in bitter opposition 
against Him. The storm was already be- 
ginning to gather that about one year hence 
would break upon Him in all its fury 
on the summit of Calvary. From this time, 
at every point in His career, we find Him 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 119 

watched, reproached, questioned, tempted, 
insulted, conspired against by the repre- 
sentatives of the leading authorities of His 
nation. 

In Heathen Borders 

Soon after delivering the discourses at 
Capernaum our Lord and His disciples went 
"into the borders of Tyre and Sidon." 
These were heathen cities on the east coast 
of the Mediterranean Sea. They were the 
principal cities of Phoenicia, a country 
northwest of Capernaum. Jesus had never 
visited this country before, and it is not cer- 
tain whether He really entered heathendom, 
or stopped just outside. While here He 
healed the daughter of the woman of Canaan 
(Matt. 15:21-28). 

Leaving the "borders" of Phoenicia, our 
Savior made a circuit to the southeast. He 
crossed the Jordan and sought seclusion in 
Decapolis, southeast of the Sea of Galilee. 
Here He healed a deaf man (Mark 7:31-37), 
and fed four thousand with seven loaves and 
a few fishes (Matt. 15:32-39). From Decapo- 
lis He crossed the sea to Dalmanutha, sup- 
posed to be a few miles south of Capernaum, 



120 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Almost immediately His enemies met Him 
again (Mark 8: 10-13) , and Jesus departed at 
once, crossing the sea to the northeast and 
landing at Bethsaida where He had fed the 
five thousand. On the journey He warned 
them of the doctrine of the Pharisees ( Matt. 
16:5-12). At Bethsaida He healed a blind 
man (Mark 8:22-26). 

The Transfiguration 

Jesus then journeyed north to Csesarea 
Philippi. Here Peter made his "great con- 
fession" (Matt. 16: 16) , and our Lord for the 
first time announced Himself as the suffer- 
ing Messiah. The disciples were plainly told 
that the only way into Christ's kingdom was 
by the cross. Thus their hopes of a glorious 
kingdom, of a redeemed nation, w r ere all 
shattered. Could a crucified man be the true 
Savior? It was needful that they should 
see the truth beyond the gloom, and obtain 
a glimpse of the glory and salvation to which 
the way of the cross would lead them; ac- 
cordingly, a week later, Jesus called Peter, 
James and John up into a mountain (prob- 
ably Mount Hermon) and was transfigured 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 121 

before them. After coming down from the 
mount He healed a demoniac boy. 

In Capernaum 

Christ then journeyed toward Capernaum, 
and on the way again foretold His own 
death and resurrection. The disciples also 
discussed among themselves as to who 
should be the greatest. After they arrived 
at Capernaum, the question of paying the 
tribute money was considered and Jesus sent 
Peter to the sea with a hook; a fish was 
caught and the needed amount was taken 
from its mouth. Later the Lord had a private 
interview with His disciples, probably at 
Peter's house, in which He taught them 
many things with respect to His kingdom 
through the medium of a little child whom 
He set in their midst (Matt. 18:1-14). 
About this time Jesus delivered a discourse 
and parable on forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-35). 

Our Savior was now in Capernaum for 
the last time. For many months His voice 
had been heard on the streets, at the seashore 
and in the synagogue. More than once He 
had healed the sick of the city and at least 
on one occasion had raised their dead. But 



122 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

they rejected Him. Alas for Capernaum! 
The true light had come, and they had closed 
their eyes against it. 

In Jerusalem 

In the autumn Jesus went to Jerusalem 
to attend the feast of Tabernacles which oc- 
curred that year on October 11. During this 
visit belong the events recorded in John 7 : 1 
to 10 : 21. He delivered discourses on the 
water of life (John 7:37-39), light and free- 
dom (John 8:12-59), the good Shepherd 
(John 10:1-21); and He healed a blind 
man (John 9: 1-41). 

The Perean 'Ministry 

Following the feast of the Tabernacles 
Jesus returned to Galilee. He remained 
there but a short time, however, and soon 
entered on His Perean ministry. From the 
time the Lord left Galilee in October, A. D. 
29, till His final arrival in the vicinity of 
Jerusalem, on Saturday, April 1, A. D. 30, 
a period of five months, is called the "Perean 
ministry/' because most of it was spent in 
Perea, that is, the region beyond Jordan — ■ 
Perea means "beyond," "on the other side" — ■ 



HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 123 

though there were frequent excursions else- 
where. 

The Seventy Sent Forth 

The Seventy w r ere sent forth (Luke 10:1- 
20), probably in November. The office to 
which these men were called was not a per- 
manent one. They were simply to prepare 
the people for Christ's approaching and final 
visit. It was an earnest, personal effort to 
immediately reach the people in Perea, who 
had until this time received but little at- 
tention. 

Discourses 

Soon after entering upon His Perean min- 
istry Jesus spoke the parable of the good 
Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). He then de- 
livered a discourse on prayer (Luke 11:1- 
13) and answered the attacks of the Phar- 
isees (Luke 11:14-54). Then followed a dis- 
course on certain great moral truths and the 
healing of a woman on the Sabbath day 
(Luke, chapters 12, 13). 

Jesus then crossed the Jordan on His way 
to the feast of Dedication at Jerusalem, 
which occurred that year on December 20-27. 



124 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKEES 

As he neared Jerusalem He stopped at the 
house of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). 
At the feast He declared Himself to be the 
Messiah, whereupon the Jews took up stones 
to stone Him, but He escaped out of their 
hand (John 10:22-39). 



XIII. 

THE LIFE OF CHRIST 

(Concluded) 

V. THE YEAR OF DEATH A. D. 30 

In Perea 

When Jesus left Jerusalem He "went away 
beyond Jordan into the place where John at 
first baptized" (John 10:40). While there 
He dined with a Pharisee and healed a man 
on the Sabbath day. While reclining at the 
table He entered into a discussion and spoke 
the parable of the great supper (Luke 14:1- 
24), Following this, while in Perea, He 
spoke various parables (Luke 14:25 to 17: 
10). 

Lazarus Raised 

Christ soon crossed the Jordan and jour- 
neyed to Bethany, where Lazarus was raised 
from the dead (John 11), probably early in 

125 



126 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

February, A. D. 30. Then, on account of 
the hostility of the Jews, He retired to 
Ephraim (John 11:54), a village north of 
Jerusalem, on the mountains overlooking the 
Jordan valley. Here He remained a short 
time with His disciples, and then crossed 
the Jordan into Perea and moved slowly 
southward on His last journey to Jerusalem. 
On the way ten lepers were cleansed (Luke 
17:11-19) (March), and various other para- 
bles were spoken (Luke 17:20 to 18:34). 
After the interview with the rich young 
ruler Jesus spoke the parable of the laborers 
in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16). He then 
again announced to His disciples His death 
and resurrection (Matt. 20: 17-19). It was at 
this time that Salome and her two sons, 
Jfemes and John, came to Christ, asking for 
the chief places in His kingdom (Matt. 20: 
20-29). 

In Jericho 

When Jesus reached Jericho He restored 
sight to two blind men, one of whom was 
Bartimseus, and He brought salvation to the 
house of Zacchseus. Jesus was passing 
through Jericho for the last time. He was 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 127 

making His way toward the city where the 
closing scenes in His life were soon to take 
place. So far as we know Zacchseus was the 
last convert before the cross. The penitent 
thief was the next. Many of the people in the 
crowd that accompanied Jesus were on the 
way to the Passover. 

Jesus Anointed in Bethany 

Our Lord and His disciples reached 
Bethany on Friday afternoon, March 31, six 
days before the Passover. They rested on 
Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. The supper 
at Simon's house and the anointing by Mary 
took place on Saturday evening. The 
triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred on 
Sunday, April 2. This was the only public 
demonstration that Jesus made. Christ 
and His disciples returned to Bethany on 
Sunday evening. 

The Second Cleansing 

On Monday morning as they were return- 
ing to Jerusalem Jesus cursed a fig tree on 
which He found nothing but leaves. He 
then proceeded to the temple and drove out 
the traders. This was the second cleansing. 



128 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

They again lodged in Bethany on Monday 
night. On Tuesday morning as they 
. were passing the fig tree which Christ 
had cursed the previous morning Peter 
called attention to the fact that it had 
withered away (Mark 11:20-24), whereupon 
our Lord took occasion to give them a les- 
son in faith. 

Last Working Day 

Tuesday was a busy day and was largely 
spent teaching in the temple. It was 
Christ's last working day. During the after- 
noon He called attention to the poor widow 
casting her offering into the treasury (Mark 
12:41-44) and met a delegation of Greeks 
(John 12:20-33). He then silenced the 
Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 22:15-46). 
He openly denounced the scribes and Phari- 
sees who were even then plotting against His 
life. In scathing terms He pronounced 
eight woes upon them, calling them fools 
and blind, hypocrites, serpents, a generation 
of vipers, murderers, and declaring that they 
could not escape the damnation of hell. 
Jesus now lamented over Jerusalem and 
added, "Your house is left unto you deso- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 129 

late" (Matt. 23). These were His very last 
words in the temple and to the Jewish na- 
tion. 

Leaving the temple Christ and His 
disciples started toward Bethany. Eeaching 
the Mount of Olives, they halted, and the 
disciples asked Him three questions (Matt. 
24:3), all of which He answered (Matt., 
chaps. 24, 25). 

The Last PassoVer 

The next day, Wednesday, Jesus spent in 
retirement with His disciples at Bethany, 
probably at the home of Lazarus, while the 
Jewish rulers were conspiring against Him. 
Thursday afternoon He sent Peter and John 
to Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover, 
and toward evening He went there with His 
disciples. The Passover was eaten in a 
large upper room. As they were taking their 
positions at the table there was a strife 
among the disciples over who should be ac- 
counted the greatest (Luke 22:24). Possi- 
bly those sought the places of honor at the 
table who had been especially honored on 
other occasions. Jesus taught them a lesson 
in humility and washed their feet. 



130 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

While they were still at the table Judas 
left the company and hastened to the Jew- 
ish authorities to make the final plans for the 
betrayal. 

After the supper, before leaving the upper 
room, Christ delivered the remarkable dis- 
course recorded in John 14, 15 and 16. Then 
followed the most wonderful prayer (John 
17) to which human ears have ever been per- 
mitted to listen. This was "the great prep- 
aration for His agony, cross and passion." 
They then left the upper room and Matthew 
records that Jesus told them they would 
all be offended because of Him that night, 
whereupon Peter with great boldness said, 
"Though all men shall be offended because 
of thee, yet will I never be offended." The 
Lord answered Peter that before morning 
he would deny Him thrice. 

In Gethsemans 

From the upper room our Savior went to 
the garden of Gethsemane, on the western 
slope of the Mount of Olives, opposite Jeru- 
salem. Here He suffered such agony of 
spirit that if speedy succor had not been 
given death must have been the immediate 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 131 

consequence. The betrayal and arrest oc- 
curred soon after midnight. 

Christ* s First Trial 

Christ had two trials. The first was be- 
fore the Jewish authorities. There were 
three distinct acts: 1. Jesus was taken 
bound, first to Annas and then to Caiaphas, 
the high priest, probably about two o'clock 
in the morning. 2. An hour or two later He 
was taken before an irregular meeting of the 
Sanhedrin, hastily called together during 
the night at the palace of the high priest, 
where He was condemned as worthy of death. 
3. According to the Roman law, a sentence 
pronounced before dawn was not valid, 
therefore the Sanhedrin adjourned till day- 
break w r hen, upon reassembling (Matt. 27:1; 
Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71), the vote was 
taken and their former action confirmed. 
But the Jews were unable to carry out their 
desires because the authority to inflict the 
death penalty had been taken from them by 
the Romans. It was therefore necessary to 
obtain a formal sentence pronounced by the 
Roman court. 



132 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Christ's Second Trial 

Our Lord's second trial was before the 
Eoman procurator, Pilate. There were three 
distinct acts : 1. The Jews brought Jesus 
before Pilate early in the morning, probably 
about six o'clock. Pilate endeavored to con- 
vince them that He was innocent and 
should be released ( Matt. 27:11-14; Mark 
15-1-5; John 18:28-38). 2. Pilate then 
sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, the king of Gal- 
ilee (Luke 23: 6-12). The Jews accused Christ 
of stirring up the people in Galilee. Herod 
was in Jerusalem at this time to attend the 
feast, and although Pilate was at enmity 
with him yet he sent Jesus to him in hopes 
that he would decide what to do with the 
prisoner. This effort failed, and after mock- 
ing Him, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate; 
but the verdict was, "Nothing worthy of 
death hath been done by Him." 3. Pilate 
again endeavored to save Jesus (Luke 23:13- 
25), but finally delivered Him "to their will." 

The Journey to Calvary 

Pilate's sentence is supposed to have 
been given about eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing. The Jews must have taken Jesus and 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 133 

started for the cross almost immediately. It 
was customary for a condemned person to 
bear his own cross, but the Savior was evi- 
dently exhausted from all he had undergone 
during the night, and probably sank under 
the burden put upon Him, and before the 
soldiers had proceeded far from the city gate 
they met Simon of Cyrene whom they com- 
pelled to assist Christ in carrying His cross. 

The Crucifixion 

The crucifixion took place at 9 a. m. Two 
thieves were crucified with Jesus, one of 
whom repented and was saved. Before He 
died Jesus committed His mother to the care 
of John, the beloved disciple. Then He cried 
with a loud voice and "dismissed His spirit." 
The veil of the temple was rent, and there 
was a great earthquake, of such power as 
to rend the rocks and open the tombs ( Matt. 
27:51-53). Christ was in the grave from 
Friday evening, April 7, until Sunday morn- 
ing, April 9, which was called three days 
according to Jewish reckoning. He arose 
very early in the morning on the first day of 
the week. 



134 HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS 

i 

The Ten Appearances 

During the forty days between the res- 
urrection and ascension, Jesus appeared ten 
times (some say eleven times) in different 
parts of Palestine. There were five appear- 
ances on the day of His resurrection. He ap- 
peared, 1. To Mary. 2. To the other 
women. 3. To Peter. 4. To the two disciples 
walking to Emmaus. 5. To the ten in an 
upper room. 6. One week later to His dis- 
ciples in an upper room. 7. To seven 
apostles at the Sea of Galilee. 8. On a 
mountain in Galilee to the eleven apostles 
and to five hundred brethren. (Some think 
the appearance to the five hundred brethren 
was after His appearance to the eleven.) 9. 
To James. 10. To the apostles, at the time 
of His ascension. The testimony of this 
host of witnesses alone establishes the fact 
of the resurrection. 

The Ascension 

The ascension occurred forty days after 
Christ's resurrection, on Thursday, May 18, 
from the Mount of Olives. The apostles 
were with Him, listening intently to His 
words, when "He was taken up, and a cloud 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 135 

received Him out of their sight." While 
they stood looking toward heaven, two men 
in white apparel appeared and assured them 
that "this same Jesus" would in due time 
return to them. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." 



136 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 









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XIV. 

PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS 

The Apostle Paul made three missionary 
journeys, besides his journey to Rome as 
a prisoner. After his first imprisonment at 
Rome he made other journeys of which we 
do not have definite knowledge. Antioch in 
Syria was the starting point for each of his 
three journeys. 

First Missionary Journey 

1. Paul's first missionary journey occupied 
two years, A. D. 48 to '50. He was accom- 
panied by Barnabas and John Mark. They 
set sail from Seleucia, the seaport of Anti- 
och, for the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:4). 
They preached first at Salamis, on the east- 
ern end of the island, and then journeyed 
westward to Paphos. This is the place 
where the Jewish name, Saul, is dropped, and 
henceforth we know him by his Roman name, 

128 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 139 

Paul. Leaving the island they sailed in a 
northwesterly direction and landed on the 
shore of Asia Minor. They visited Perga, 
Antioch in Pisidia, Iconiuni, Lystra and 
Derbe. As soon as they reached the main 
land, at Perga, John Mark left them. 
Geikie describes the people of this country 
as being "wild and lawless, armed from head 
to foot, and ready for violence." The hill peo- 
ple bore the evil name of being the most 
confirmed brigands known even in those 
ages; the civilization of the region was 
backward. To such a people the gospel was 
now being carried, and although the perse- 
cutions were great, yet many w r ere converted 
and churches were established in all the cit- 
ies visited. At Lystra Paul was stoned and 
left for dead. They returned by the same 
general route to the sea, and then sailed di- 
rectly for Seleucia and Antioch, leaving Cy- 
prus on the south. 

Second Missionary Journey 

2. Paul's second missionary journey oc- 
cupied three years, A. D. 51 to 54. He was 
accompanied by Silas, or Silvanus, and later 
was joined by Timothy and Luke. Barnabas 



140 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

separated from the great apostle and went 
to the island of Cyprus, his early home. 
Starting at Antioch Paul journeyed north 
through Syria (Acts 15:41) and then took 
a northwesterly course, visiting the churches 
already established (Acts 16:1-5). At 
Lystra he found Timothy, the fruit of his 
former visit, who joined him and became a 
life-long companion. A tour was then made 
through Galatia where churches were estab- 
lished (Acts 16:6), after which he jour- 
neyed westward to Troas, on the Aegean Sea 
(Acts 16:8). At Troas, Luke, the author of 
the Acts, joined them. In Acts 16:10 he 
first uses the word "we," showing that he 
was in the company. 

Crossing the sea Paul and his compan- 
ions entered Europe. The principal cities 
visited were Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, 
Athens and Corinth. Paul preached in 
Corinth a year and a half (Acts 16:12 to 
18:17). Returning the apostle crossed the 
Aegean Sea to Ephesus, but soon continued 
his voyage around the southwestern border 
of Asia Minor and thence in a southeasterly 
direction to Caesarea. Here he left the ship 
and journeyed to Jerusalem. After he had 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 141 

saluted the church at Jerusalem he "went 
down" to Antioch (Acts 18:18-22). 

Third Missionary Journey 

3. Paul's third missionary journey occupied 
four years, A. D. 54 to 58. More than half 
of this time was spent at Ephesus where he 
preached with great spiritual power. His 
companions were Timothy, Luke during a 
part of the journey, and probably Titus. 
Leaving Antioch he journeyed northwest, 
through Asia Minor into Galatia, thence 
southwest, through Phrygia (Acts 18:23) to 
Ephesus. His stay at Ephesus was filled 
with many interesting events (Acts 19:1-41). 
Paul then went to Troas and crossed into 
Europe, visiting the churches which had 
been established on his second missionary 
journey, spending three months at Corinth 
(Acts 20:1-3). On his return Paul and 
his companions traveled north to Philippi, 
and crossed over to Troas. Paul then jour- 
neyed south along the coast, visiting var- 
ious points. After meeting the Ephesian 
brethren at Miletus, the apostle continued 
his journey to Caesarea and finally to Jeru- 
salem (Acts 21:15). 



142 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

At Jerusalem Paul was soon arrested and 
imprisoned, as had been predicted (Acts 
21:10, 11). 

Journey to Rome 

4. Paul's journey to Home. Soon after 
Paul's arrest at Jerusalem the Jews plotted 
to kill him and he was sent under a strong 
guard to Csesarea, where he was kept in prison 
two full years. Having appealed his 
case to Caesar he was sent to Rome. Luke 
and Aristarchus were with him on the vessel. 
On the way they suffered shipwreck and were 
greatly delayed, but finally reached the im- 
perial city about March first, A. D. 61. He 
was kept as a prisoner for two years, when 
he was set at liberty. 

Last Journeys 

5. Paul's last journeys. The history of 
the great apostle closes with the Acts, but 
from his epistles we gather a few fragmen- 
tary facts with respect to his last days. 
After his release he spent at least two years 
at liberty before his second arrest. During 
this time he visited the churches in Mace- 
donia and Asia Minor; some think he went 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 143 

to Spain. In A. D. 65 Paul was arrested 
and taken before Nero, the Roman Emperor, 
for the second time. The apostle was be- 
headed on the "Ostian Way," not far from 
Rome, in the summer of A. D. 66. 



XV. 

TEN POINTS OF EXCELLENCE 

Great progress is being made in the Sun* 
day-school world, and from all appearances 
the spirit of aggressiveness has come to 
stay. Those who would not retrograde must 
immediately make an advance movement. 

The Sunday-school should be spiritual, 
instructive, interesting and attractive. In 
order to succeed we must, first, have the help 
of the Holy Spirit and, second, give more 
time and attention to the work. Sermons 
must be preached, Sunday-school associa- 
tions organized, and conventions and insti- 
tutes held. Superintendents and teachers 
must prepare themselves for the faithful per- 
formance of their duties. This work is the 
Lord's and "He will prosper us," if "we His 
servants will arise and build." Let us rec- 
ognize the obligations resting upon us and 
undertake the work with courage and faith. 

144 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS 145 

A Standard Needed 

It is important that all schools should 
have a standard by which they can be 
measured. In the light of such a standard 
those who have considered their schools ideal 
often discover that they are sadly lacking in 
many important points. Only by a definite 
standard can constant progress be secured 
and undue self-confidence destroyed. After 
carefully considering the whole subject the 
following "Ten Points of Excellence" are 
submitted as a suggestive standard: 

The Standard Suggested 

1. A teachers' meeting and special 
teacher-training work. 

2. A good equipment, including Bibles. 

3. A Home Department. 

4. A Cradle Eoll and Kindergarten in- 
struction. 

5. Temperance and missionary depart- 
ments. 

6. A carefully prepared "order of exer- 
cises," complete and accurate records and 
reports, and generous offerings. 

7. A class organization particularly for 
young people and adult Bible classes. 



146 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

8. The observance of special days, espe- 
cially Decision Day in March, Children's 
Day in June, Eally Day in September, and 
the World's Temperance Day in November. 

9. Written work, especially written re- 
views. 

10. Conversions and spiritual life. 

We have endeavored to include nothing in 
these points which is not within easy reach of 
even the weakest school. The advisability of 
adopting some of the modern Sunday-school 
methods is an open question and it is to be 
hoped that those in charge of Sunday-school 
work will use great discretion with respect 
to introducing new things into their schools. 
It is evident, however, that any particular 
method should not be received or rejected 
merely because it is termed modern. 

Principle and Method 

We should always carefully note the dis- 
tinction between principle and method. 
Principles are unchangeable, but methods 
are ever changing and are subject 
to constant improvement. Our effort 
should be to discover the best methods 
— those which bring the greatest success, and 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 147 

then adopt them. The points suggested here 
have been tested and found beneficial. In ad- 
vocating them we are not leading the way 
along a new and untried path, but rather, 
we are journeying along the Sunday-school 
highway, which has long been traveled by 
others and which has invariably led to a 
successful termination. We purpose now to 
discuss some of the points suggested. 



XVI. 

TEN POINTS OF EXCELLENCE 
(Continued) 

TEACHER TRAINING 

* 

Tf the best results are to be realized we 
must have trained teachers. No one would 
expect to succeed on secular lines without 
proper training, and it is the height of folly 
to suppose that because we are engaged in 
Christian work the Lord will give us suc- 
cess without special preparation. 

Reasons for Thorough Preparation 

There are good reasons why the Sunday- 
school teacher above all others should be 
qualified for his work. 

1. He is dealing with and molding young 
ininAs, and an error may prove disastrous. 

2. He is obliged to do this work in a 
Wrj limited time, and it is important that 

148 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 119 

no false move be made and that he make the 
best use of the few brief moments allotted 
each week to the study of the Sunday- 
school lesson. 

3. The importance and dignity of the 
work are very great. A young heart is being 
trained for heaven. Should we assume to 
undertake such a great and noble work in a 
careless, thoughtless manner? 

The teacher who comes before his class 
and informs his scholars that he has not 
prepared the lesson, degrades his high and 
noble calling. Such a teacher need not won- 
der at any lack of interest that may exist, 
or at any falling away that may take place 
in the class membership. It would be strange 
if these things did not occur. 

Let us now notice a few of the basic prin- 
ciples underlying the art of teaching. What 
should a teacher know? What should a 
teacher do? 

What a Teacher Should Know 

1. A teacher should know God. He 
should have a definite, personal experience 
in divine things. He should know that the 
love of God is "shed abroad" in his heart, 



150 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

that he is a true Christian. The teacher will 
not be able to lead others in the way of sal- 
vation unless he is walking in the paths of 
righteousness himself. If the blind lead the 
blind both will fall into the ditch. "He must 
be what he would have his scholars become." 
Unless a teacher's influence is what it 
should be he is likely to do more damage than 
he does good. 

2. A teacher should know the subject he 
is expected to teach. He is a Bible teacher, 
therefore to succeed he must have a general 
knowledge of the Bible. A lack here is fatal. 
All that is necessary to be known with re- 
spect to sin and salvation may be , learned 
from the Bible, and those who would be effi- 
cient workers in the Lord's vineyard must 
familiarize themselves with the truths of 
this book. Paul says, "All scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness: that the man 
of God may be perfect, throughly furnished 
unto all good works." D. L. Moody says, 
"I never saw a useful Christian who was 
not a student of the Bible. If a man 
neglects his Bible, he may pray and ask 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 151 

God to use hiin in His work, but God 
cannot make much use of him, for there is 
not much for the Holy Spirit to work upon." 
The Sunday-school teacher is God's work- 
man and he should certainly understand the 
tools he is to handle. 

3. A teacher should know the home life, 
the educational advantages and qualifica- 
tions, the moral surroundings and the spirit- 
ual condition of his scholars. To do the 
best work it is quite as important to know 
the scholar as to know the lesson. 

4. A teacher should know how to teach. 
This is more than talking about a les- 
son or hearing a recitation. Teaching has 
been defined as "causing another to know." 
The real teacher actually imparts knowledge. 
He carefully leads his scholars to investi- 
gate for themselves. He starts them in 
the right direction and then teaches them to 
do their own thinking, thus cultivating 
originality. 

What a Teacher Should Do 

1. A teacher should make a thorough prep- 
aration of the particular lesson to be taught. 
(1) He should study the "setting," consider- 



152 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKERS 

ing time, place, persons, and any important 
facts in connection with the lesson. (2) He 
should search out the exact meaning of the 
lesson, particularly noting any obscure or 
difficult points. (3) He should carefully 
prepare the application, considering the ques- 
tion: How may the truths and principles 
found in this lesson be applied to the prac- 
tical and spiritual life? 

A concordance and reference Bible will 
be found indispensable. Material should be 
arranged and a definite teaching plan 
outlined. 

2. A teacher must secure the attention of 
his scholars. Unless he has their attention 
his efforts are in vain. There should be per- 
fect order in the class. Without order it is 
useless to proceed. There may, however, be 
a lack of attention even when the class is 
orderly. Many plans have been suggested 
for securing attention which are good so far 
as they go, but usually they do not go far 
enough and only gain the attention mo- 
mentarily. The one way to gain and keep 
the attention is to make the lesson interest- 
ing. When this is done the teacher will find 
this difficult problem solved. 



HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 153 

3. A teacher should prepare and ask 
proper questions. There are two ways of 
teaching a class, by the lecture method 
and by the question method. Both meth- 
ods may be employed to advantage, but 
the question method is the one which should 
ordinarily be followed. The teacher should 
understand the art of questioning. The ques- 
tions asked should be clearly stated in lan- 
guage easily understood. In promiscuous 
classes care should be taken not to embar- 
rass the scholar by asking questions which 
he would not likely be able to answer. 
Questions should be avoided which sug- 
gest the answer or which may be an- 
swered by yes or no. Frivolous and unim- 
portant questions, and questions calculated 
to lead to a debate in the class should not 
be asked. Questions should be so framed 
that the answer will require a definite, 
thought out statement. While questions do 
disclose the ignorance of the scholar, they 
should not be asked with this thought in 
view, but rather to stimulate the mind and 
call out what the scholar knows. Carefully 
prepared review questions clinch the truths 
taught and assist in making the application. 



154 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Christ the Model Teacher 

In endeavoring to discover the principles 
by which the teacher is to order his course 
if he would be successful, we can hardly do 
better than study Christ as the model 
Teacher in His methods and manner and 
the subject matter of His teaching. 

A careful perusal of the life of Christ as 
it is given in the gospels will show Him 
to be a model for the Sunday-school teacher 
in at least the following particulars: 

1. In earnestness. Christ was earnest in 
thought, feeling and action. His words 
burned into the consciences and thrilled the 
souls of His hearers. 

2. In originality. He followed no one. 
His methods were new. His utterances were 
crisp and fresh. In simplicity and beauty 
nothing produced by the world's best think- 
ers equals the parables of Christ. 

3. In His illustrations. These were often 
drawn from the most common objects — ob- 
jects so common that they had been passed 
by because of their very commonness. A hen 
and her chickens were sufficient to illustrate 
the deepest spiritual truths. His illustra- 
tions were always pointed and pertinent. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 155 

4. In naturalness. We cannot think of 
Christ's speaking or acting in an affected or 
unnatural manner. His every utterance and 
movement as we read the gospels suggest 
naturalness. 

5. In clearness. He was clear in His 
perceptions, and hence clear in statement, 
illustration and application. He used simple 
language which the common people and even 
children could understand. 

6. In His sympathy. He entered into 
the feelings of others, weeping with those 
who wept and rejoicing with those who re- 
joiced. 

7. In His adaptation of truth. He was 
careful to present the especial truth appro- 
priate to His hearers — truth adapted to 
their varied conditions. His originality and 
His great supply of illustrative material gave 
variety. 

8. In His authority. He had a message 
to deliver, given Him from heaven. He 
wasted no words in apologies. He spoke 
with authority and power, and conviction 
was carried to the hearts of His hearers. 

The Sunday-school teacher would do well 
to follow this model set us by the great 



156 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Teacher. Be earnest; be original; be nat- 
ural; be sympathetic; study clearness and 
appropriateness, remembering that it is the 
privilege of every man called of God to do 
His work, to be so filled with the Holy Spirit 
that he will speak and teach the truth with 
authority. 

Among the many excellent works on 
teaching we would recommend "The Sun- 
day-school Teacher/' by Hamill, "Seven 
Laws of Teaching/' by Gregory, and "Point 
of Contact in Teaching/' by DuBois. 

THE TEACHERS' MEETING 

A teachers' meeting is a necessity in every 
school, and there are but very few schools, 
even in country places, that cannot carry on 
such a meeting if the matter is undertaken 
in the right way. In addition to the 
teachers it should include the pastor and 
superintendent and those preparing to teach ; 
and adult members of the Sunday-school 
should also be made welcome as visitors. 

HotO Conducted 

How shall it be conducted? The lesson 
should be prepared in advance. The leader 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 157 

should question each one for the purpose of 
discovering what he knows about the lesson 
and how he intends to use it. Then the meet- 
ing may take the form of a conference. Diffi- 
cult points should be discussed and ex- 
plained and methods considered. The leader 
of the meeting should make a thorough prep- 
aration and should study to introduce vari- 
ety into these weekly gatherings. 

Marion Laurence on Teachers 9 Meetings 

The following excellent suggestions on 
Teachers' Meetings are from the pen of 
Marion Lawrence, General International 
Sunday-school Secretary. Mr. Lawrence 
says: 

"We talk over and plan our school work, 
and study the lesson from fifteen angles. No 
matter who leads, the meeting is sure to 
bristle with interest. It works. Here are 
the angles : 

"1. Approach. Give subject of last lesson 
and briefly outline the intervening history, 
if any. 2. Surroundings. Give time, place 
and circumstances directly leading to the les- 
son. 3. The lesson story. Give the lesson story 
in your own words. 4. Analysis. Give a 



158 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

simple working outline for studying and 
teaching the lesson. 5. Eeferences. Give 
helpful references and parallel passages. 6. 
Biography. Give names of persons, classes 
and nations mentioned or referred to. 7. 
Orientalism. Give any Oriental customs or 
manners peculiar to this lesson. 8. Central 
truth. Give the central truth and your rea- 
son for its choice. 9. Principal teachings. 
Give the truths most forcibly taught. 10. 
First step. Give a good way to introduce 
this lesson so as to secure attention from 
the start. 11. Difficulties. Give what ap- 
pear to be the greatest difficulties. 12. 
Primary. Give the features which are best 
adapted to small children. 13. Objects. 
Give names of any objects which might be 
profitably used in teaching. 14. Illustra- 
tions. Give a few incidents or facts that 
will serve as illustrations. 15. Practical 
lessons. Give the most practical lessons in 
personally applying the lesson." 

For a further consideration of this subject 
we recommend "Teachers' Meetings/' by 
Trumbull. 

EQUIPMENT 

Let the school be provided with good maps 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 159 

and charts, especially temperance and mis- 
sionary charts, a blackboard,* a library, all 
necessary kindergarten supplies, a Cradle 
Koll, the regular Sunday-school quarterlies 
and papers and Home Department supplies, 
the church catechism, a Bible for each mem- 
ber of the school old enough to read, a good 
supply of song books and anything else that 
may be needed to put the school in the first 
rank with a complete equipment. 

Do not say that this cannot be done. Do 
not plead poverty. If all that is needed can- 
not be purchased at once, make a beginning 
and then raise a little each month. Do not 
give up ; keep at it. Say, We must ; we can ; 
we will. Kemember it is impossible to con- 
duct a good school with a poor equipment. 
A good equipment helps to make the school 
attractive, breaks up the sameness and gives 
variety, assists greatly in bringing out and 
impressing the truth. 



*One of the best helps we know of for black- 
board work is "The Blackboard in the Sunday- 
School," by Bailey. 



XVII, 

TEN POINTS OF EXCELLENCE 
(Continued) 

THE HOME DEPARTMENT 

The originator of the Home Department 
was Doctor W. A. Duncan, of Syracuse, New 
York. He says it came to him like an inspi- 
ration in the year 1881, and certainly during 
the past quarter of a century it has been an 
inspiration and a blessing to thousands of 
others. There is no other line of work car- 
ried on by the Sunday-school which has been 
crowned with greater success or which is 
calculated to accomplish greater results. We 
shall notice what the Home Department is, 
its plan, how it is organized, how to carry 
on the work, some objections and some of its 
benefits. 

What It Is 

Two classes of individuals do not at- 

160 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 161 

tend the Sunday-school. One class is com- 
posed of those who would like to attend, but 
who for various reasons are not permitted 
to do so. Such are the aged, the infirm, in- 
valids, those who have the care of young 
children or the sick, those who live at too 
great a distance from the church, and many 
others. Then there are those w 7 ho might at- 
tend, but who have no desire to do so. The 
Home Department is simply a department of 
the Sunday-school organized for the purpose 
of inducing both of these classes to study the 
regular Sunday-school lessons, and, as far 
as possible, to secure their attendance at the 
regular services of the Sunday-school and 
church. 

The Plan 

First, some one is needed to take charge of 
the work. This person is called the Home De- 
partment superintendent, and when elected 
to this position becomes one of the assistant 
superintendents of the school. This superin- 
tendent needs a corps of assistants. These 
are called visitors, and should be ranked 
with the teachers. The territory is then di- 
vided into districts, and a visitor is assigned 



162 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

to each district. The visitor canvasses the 
district thoroughly, visiting every family not 
known to be already connected with some 
Sunday-school, and solicits every individual 
either to join the main school or the Home 
Class. A simple pledge that one will study 
the Sunday-school lesson a half hour each 
week is all that is required in order to be- 
come a member of the Home Class. When 
the pledge is given the visitor enrolls the 
name in a class book and supplies the new; 
member with a certificate of membership, a 
lesson quarterly and a report and collection 
envelope. After canvassing the field the visit- 
ors visit the Home Class members regularly 
at the end of each quarter for the purpose of 
carrying new lesson helps and receiving 
the reports and offerings for the quarter. 
If it is possible to do so, the visitors call 
oftener than once a quarter, perhaps as often 
as once each month in some cases, in order 
to keep the members interested and encour 
aged in the work. The visitors and superin- 
tendent make full reports of the work, and the 
number of members in the Home Classes is 
reported regularly by the secretary of the 
school. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 163 

How Organized 

First, a supply of Home Department 
literature and lesson helps is needed. Then 
let the Sunday-school board, or the members 
of the Sunday-school, elect the Home De- 
partment superintendent and visitors. The 
superintendent and visitors should then dis- 
trict the territory and prepare for the can- 
vass. This is the usual course pursued in 
starting the work. Another plan is to ask 
the pastor to preach on the subject of Bible 
Study some Sabbath morning and at the 
close of the sermon appeal to all present who 
do not attend the Sunday-school to join the 
Home Class. Let ushers distribute cards to 
be signed by all desiring to join. After the 
work is thus started the house-to-house can- 
vass should be faithfully carried on. In 
large schools it may be desirable to have a 
Home Department secretary and treasurer. 

General Directions 

To be made a success the work must be 
pushed with energy and courage. Superin- 
tendents and visitors are needed, (1) who 
are workers, (2) who love the work, and (3) 
who will not allow discouragements to affect 



164 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

them. In order to succeed they must have 
patience, perseverance and piety. Before 
members can be secured and even after they 
are secured much personal visitation and ef- 
fort will be required. A determined visitor 
will not become faint-hearted because the 
first or even the second invitation to join the 
Home Class is met with a refusal, but will 
leave literature and make an engagement to 
call again, for it will be only after repeated 
calls and much persuasion that some will be 
secured as members. The success or failure 
of every class depends almost entirely on the 
faithfulness and courage of the visitors. 

It is the duty of the superintendent to in- 
struct and encourage the visitors, to see that 
the whole field is canvassed, to keep accurate 
records and make quarterly and annual re- 
ports to the school. 

It is the duty of the visitors to organize 
Home Classes wherever one or more members 
are secured. Members of the same class 
under the same visitor may study in different 
grades. Visitors should also organize cor- 
respondence classes when those desiring to 
join are at so great a distance that they can- 
not be reached personally. Regular quarterly 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 1(M 

reports should be made to the superintend- 
ent 

It is highly important that the visitors 
as far as possible should assist the pastor in 
his pastoral work by inviting those visited to 
the regular church services and by informing 
him of any who are sick or destitute or who 
desire spiritual help. Personal Christian 
work should be done in the homes entered. 
In this way the visitors will become a strong 
force for the upbuilding of the church. 

When canvassing for members explain 
the plan clearly and make it plain that all 
that will be required of them is to study the 
Sunday-school lesson one-half hour each 
week. Tell them that they are to become 
members of the Sunday-school and will be 
entitled to all its privileges. Explain the 
marking on the collection envelope and make 
it clear that the contribution is a matter 
left entirely with them, and that whatever 
is given goes into the treasury of the main 
school. 

Difficulties 

At the very outset some one will be 
sure to object on the ground that it will 



166 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

decrease the attendance at the main school; 
but the fact goes to show that this is not the 
case, but that the Home Department in- 
creases instead of decreases the attendance. 
No one who has interest enough to attend 
the Sunday-school will care to drop out and 
take up with the Home Department, while on 
the other hand many who begin the study of 
the lessons at home will soon have a desire 
to attend the school. Another objection is 
that it is expensive, and small schools cannot 
afford it. The answer to this is that the re- 
ceipts from the Home Class always more 
than pay expenses, and a good surplus is 
left in the treasury for the benefit of the 
main school. 

The greatest hindrance is frequently the 
lethargy of the church. It is often the case 
that both pastor and people fail to recognize 
the importance of the w r ork, and there is a 
corresponding lack of consecration on the 
part of the workers. Then it is not uncom- 
mon for visitors to become faint-hearted and 
discouraged and give up the work even after 
it is well under way. What is needed is 
energetic, courageous, consecrated superin- 
tendents and visitors. The superintendents 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 167 

should not only superintend, but should also 
visit, and the visitors should have a love 
for the work strong enough to carry them 
through every discouragement. 

Benefits 

The benefits are many: (1) It helps the 
pastor. (2) It opens the Bible in the home 
and develops family religion. The members 
of a family cannot study the Bible together 
without being brought face to face with 
those questions w T hich relate to their souls' 
salvation. (3) It advances systematic Bible 
study. (4) It increases attendance upon 
the Sunday-school and the regular church 
services. (5) It furnishes an effective method 
for evangelizing the field covered by the 
church. Wherever it has been thoroughly 
tried it has been found to be a great evan- 
gelistic agency. It is calculated to reach 
those who are without the gospel in a gospel 
land, and for whom the church is responsible. 
A corps of visitors regularly canvassing the 
community is a great reinforcement to the 
church. (6) It comforts and helps invalids. 
(7) It enlists the indifferent. (8) It is the 
means of recovering backsliders. (9) It de- 



168 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOKKERS 

velops Christian workers. Nothing is better 
adapted to make Christians effective labor- 
ers for Christ, in the salvation of souls, than 
to appoint them as visitors in the Home De- 
partment. It furnishes something specific for 
the members of the church to do, something 
which is not difficult, but is within their abil- 
ity, and which will be productive of good re- 
sults. The church needs this agency for the 
disciplining of its members. (10) It enlarges 
the offerings in the main school. (11) It 
increases the circulation of Sunday-school 
literature, which alone is a tremendous 
power for good. 

It is to be hoped that the importance and 
benefits of the Home Department work will 
be recognized, and that it will soon be taken 
up by every Sunday-school in the land. The 
plan is simple, inexpensive and effective, and 
with the blessing of God it can be made a 
great success.* 

THE CRADLE ROLL 

The department in the Sunday-school 



*A11 denominational publishing houses now issue 
Home Department supplies. Send to your publish- 
ing house for what you need. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 169 

called the "Cradle Roll" is composed of the 
babies whose names have been secured and 
enrolled on a large roll or sheet of cardboard. 
The roll should be hung on the wall in the 
primary department of the Sunday-school. 
All babies under three years of age, within 
reach of the church in which the department 
is organized, should be enrolled. 

How Started 

When it is decided by the Sunday-school 
to start the department, the pastor should 
announce the fact from his pulpit and ask 
for a list of names of all the children under 
three years of age in the neighborhood. The 
main school should also be asked to help. A 
superintendent for the Cradle Eoll depart- 
ment should be elected, to whom the list of 
names and addresses should be given. The 
homes should then be visited, and the 
mothers asked to allow the names to be en- 
rolled. 

An invitation card setting forth the object 
of the Cradle Eoll should then be put in the 
hands of all the parents of small children 
within reach of the church, and the whole 
community should be canvassed thoroughly. 



170 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Along with the invitation card should go an 
application card, which is to be filled out 
ky the parents and returned to the Cradle 
Roll superintendent. As soon as the appli- 
cation has been received a certificate of mem- 
bership should be sent to the parents. 

HovO Conducted 

A few suggestions are offered with re- 
spect to the proper manner of conducting 
the Cradle Roll, in order to bring about the 
best results: (1) A complete record should 
be kept, giving name, address, age of child, 
name of parents, and other information. (2) 
The babies should be often and regularly 
visited, especially when sick. Personal work 
is what tells with the parents and other mem- 
bers of the family. (3) A good idea is to 
have a rack or card holder on the wall be- 
side the Cradle Roll, in which to place the 
photographs of the babies as they may be 
secured. (4) Much attention should be given 
to birthdays. An invitation should be sent 
the parents to visit the Sunday-school and 
bring the baby on the Sunday nearest his 
birthday. (5) Besides remembering birth- 
days, such occasions as Christmas, Easter, 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 171 

Children's Day and Rally Day are suitable 
seasons when the parents may be especially 
invited and the baby remembered. Some- 
times the invitation may be sent the baby 
asking him to bring his parents. 

When the baby is three years old he should 
be promoted from the Cradle Roll depart- 
ment to the Beginner's class. Much should 
be made of this occasion. A song of welcome 
to the new scholar should be sung and a 
short prayer offered. A gilt star should 
be placed beside the name on the roll when 
the child is promoted. If the baby should 
be taken to heaven, the fact should be noted 
on the roll opposite his name, and a short 
service held in the primary class. If the 
funeral services are held in the church, it 
would be very proper for the members of 
the class to sit together. 

Its Value 

The value of the Cradle Roll department 
can hardly be over estimated. It will be of 
inestimable value to the child, the mother, 
the father, the primary class, the Sunday- 
school, the church, and also to those who do 
the work. It is important that all schools 



172 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKEBS 

that have not already started this depart- 
ment should do so at once. 

THE KINDERGARTEN 

How can we best teach the child from 
three to six years of age? This is a live 
question and is being asked at the present 
time by many Sunday-school workers. The 
Sunday-school kindergartens, as they are be- 
ing installed throughout the country, are a 
partial answer to the question. We believe 
that the kindergarten plan may be made very 
helpful. One great difficulty is that but very 
few primary teachers are familiar with 
kindergarten theory and practise. Then 
small schools look at the expense connected 
with this line of work and often decide that 
it is not worth while to undertake it. But 
what has been done can be done again. By 
a little earnest effort every difficulty can be 
met and overcome and kindergarten in- 
struction can be made an established fact 
in the great majority of Sunday-schools. 

How Started 

The question which will confront many 
Sunday-school boards will be, how shall we 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 173 

go about it to introduce kindergarten in- 
struction in our school? First, put those 
in charge of the work (usually young ladies) 
who are willing to make the necessary prep- 
aration. Second, let those thus chosen as 
kindergarten teachers either take a course 
of instruction or, if this is impossible, se- 
cure the best books to be found on the sub- 
ject and study privately. Kindergartens in 
operation should be visited in order that 
their practical workings may be seen. Third, 
let a supply of kindergarten material be pur- 
chased. Fourth, if possible a separate room 
should be provided; but if this cannot be 
done curtains can be used. Fifth, when all 
is in readiness start in with confidence, ask- 
ing the blessing of the Lord upon the efforts 
put forth. 

Books and Material 

And now as to books and material. The 
best book we have been able to find is 
"Bible Object Lessons and Songs for Little 
Ones on the Life of Christ." The book con- 
tains instructions for teachers and fifty-two 
lessons, a whole year's course, with illustra- 
tions showing how to use kindergarten ma- 



174 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

terial. There are three small boxes of material 
accompanying the book, to be used in illustra- 
ting the lessons. In addition to this, wher- 
ever practicable, small tables and chairs 
should be provided. Other books recom- 
mended are "The Kindergarten Sunday- 
school," and "Kindergarten Bible Stories." 

Suggestions 

We offer a few suggestions: The Sunday- 
school kindergarten is not a place for play, 
but everything must be done with serious- 
ness and reverence. It is a department of 
the Sunday-school providing for the spirit- 
ual instruction of the children. 

The mere handling of blocks and card- 
board and flowers avails nothing, but the 
proper use of these things under the careful 
direction of a teacher will lead the child to 
a clear knowledge of the truth taught. 

Nothing should be done aimlessly. There 
should be a distinct purpose in view in the 
handling of every article. The article is used 
merely as an illustration — the truth back of 
it is the important thing. 

Too many children must not be placed in 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL .WORKERS 175 

one class. Ordinarily twelve should be the 
limit, and six in a class is better than twelve. 
The teacher must be studious and resource- 
ful. The ideas of others may be helpful in 
starting, but to succeed there must be origi- 
nality. 



XVIII. 

TEN POINTS OF EXCELLENCE 
(Concluded) 

THE TEMPERANCE DEPARTMENT 

At this time when the temperance ques- 
tion is being brought to the front so rapidly 
we should not be content with the small 
amount of temperance work which is being 
done in most of our Sunday-schools. Let 
us do more along this line. 

The Superintendent's Duties 

Put a superintendent in charge of this de- 
partment who is wide-awake and clear-eyed. 
He will find many ways of advancing the 
work. The field is a large one. He should 
group the evils of intemperance, the cigar- 
ette, profanity and Sabbath desecration, and 
start an active warfare against them. By 
pledge signing, by illustrations and incidents, 

176 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 177 

by temperance leaflets, papers and charts, by 
special temperance talks he will create an 
interest in the work of his department. 

Temperance Bible Reading 

Occasionally this temperance* superintend- 
ent will give a temperance Bible reading, 
something after the following order: 

Strong Drink Forbidden : Lev. 10 : 9 ; Num. 6:3; 
Deut 29:5,6; Prov. 23:20; 23:31; Hab. 2:15; 
Rom. 13 : 13. 

Some Effects of Strong Drink: Prov. 23:21, 29, 
30, 32; Isa. 28:7, 8. 

Strong Drink Deceives Men : Prov. 20 : 1 ; Luke 
21 : 34. 

Woe Pronounced on the Drunkard : Isa. 5 : 11 ; 
28:1. 

Punishment Inflicted: Deut. 21:18-21. 

Warning Against Evil Associates : 1 Cor. 5 :11. 

The Drunkard's* Future Prospects : 1 Cor. 6 :10. 

Some Illustrations : Noah— Gen. 9 : 20, 21 ; Bel- 
shazzar — Dan. 5 :4. 

Miss Willard's Temperance Pledge 

It will inspire an interest in the children 
to ask them to sign the following temperance 
pledge which was the first pledge signed 
by Miss Frances E. Willard. 



178 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

"A pledge we make, no wine to take, 
Nor brandy red that turns the head, 
Nor fiery rum that ruins home, 
Nor whisky hot that makes the sot, 
Nor brewer's beer, for that we fear, 
And cider, too, will never do; 
To quench our thirst we'll always bring 
Cold water from the well or spring. 
So here we pledge perpetual hate 
To all that can intoxicate." 

THE MISSIONARY DEPARTMENT 
The Need 

About one-third of the population of the 
world are still without the word of God and 
have never heard of the Savior. There still 
remain more than one hundred languages 
and dialects into which the Bible has not 
been translated. There are more than a 
thousand million souls outside of the Chris- 
tian religion. The need is great and press- 
ing. 

Our Duty 

What is our duty in connection with 
the evangelization of the world? The answer 
to this question may be far reaching, it n*ay 
strike deep into the life, it may me^n 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 179 

the -turning over of our earthly goods 
into God's treasury. But if the light of the 
gospel is carried to the heathen world it 
must be done by our children, and they 
will not be inclined or prepared to under- 
take the work unless they are educated 
and trained for it. Not all will be mission- 
aries, but all may and should help along the 
great missionary movement. 

Plan of Action 

Every Sunday-school should have a good 
missionary department. Sometimes the 
whole school may be organized into a mis- 
sionary society. Occasionally the school 
should have a missionary day and the collec- 
tion should be given to foreign missions. The 
superintendent of this department should 
plan for public meetings as well as for 
special talks before the school. Maps, charts, 
the blackboard and every available help 
should be brought into action. There should 
be a good supply of missionary books in the 
library, missionary papers should be cir- 
culated, and the pastor should preach mis- 
sionary sermons before the school. 

The children should be taught to give to 



180 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

this cause. A missionary birthday box is 
a good thing. It often creates an interest 
for the school to support a native worker or 
an orphan child. The giving should be done 
regularly and systematically. Above all, in 
this, as in every other good work, the chil- 
dren should be taught to pray the Lord of 
the harvest that He send laborers into His 
harvest. 

CLASS ORGANIZATION 

A class organization is helpful in many 
ways. It gives the president and secretary 
and the various officers of the class some 
definite work to do. Committees can 
be appointed to look after absentees, can- 
vass for new scholars and perform other 
lines of Christian work which otherwise 
would be largely neglected. A class organi- 
zation tends to cultivate a class spirit which 
is very helpful. The whole class may thus be- 
come a missionary or temperance organization 
at will, as first one line of work is taken up 
and then another. United effort brings results. 
What has your class been doing for the 
Sunday-school, church or community? Why 
not organize at once and begin active, ag- 



HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 181 

gressive work along the lines which seem 
most important to you? Visit the needy and 
afflicted, visit the jails and scatter tracts. 
Organize for real business and you will 
become a power for good in your Sunday- 
school. 

Mr. W, C. Pearce on Class Organization 

The International Sunday-school Associa- 
tion has recently created an adult depart- 
ment and is putting forth every effort pos- 
sible to advance the work of organizing 
adult Bible classes. Mr. W. C. Pearce, the 
superintendent of this department, has the 
following to say with respect to the advan- 
tages of class organization : 

"1, It divides the work, thus giving every- 
body something to do. 2. It develops work- 
ers. 3. It gives permanency. The teacher 
renders his greatest service when he puts 
others at work at something that will last. 
4. It gives strength. The strongest class is 
the class working as a unit through organi- 
zation. 5. It develops class spirit. A broad- 
minded class spirit is essential to class suc- 
cess. 6. It promotes fellowship. The fel- 



182 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

lowship of our organized classes may be 
made to reach around the world." 

SPECIAL DAYvS 

The special days to be observed during 
the year as suggested by the leaders of the 
International Sunday-school Association are 
as follows: 

January — Installation Day. 

February — Honor Day. 

March — Decision Day. 

April — Easter. 

May — Home Department Day. 

June — Children's Day. 

July — Christian Citizenship Day. 

August — Parents' Day. 

September — Eally Day. 

October — Harvest Home Day. 

November — World's Temperance Day. 

December — Christmas. 

Thinking that the observance of a special 
day each month might be more than the ordi- 
nary school would care to undertake we have 
suggested one for each quarter. In addition 
to this nearly all schools observe Easter and 
Christmas, which would make six special 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 183 

days during the year. Home Department 
Day should be observed by those schools that 
have a Home Department, and Parents' Day 
ought not to be neglected. 

Benefits to be Derived 

There are many reasons for observing spe- 
cial days. They are to the Sunday-school 
what the general gatherings are to the 
church. The schools that do not observe 
them will suffer great loss. Such days should 
be held regularly and should have a definite 
purpose. 

Among the benefits to be derived are the 
following : 

1. They introduce variety and tend to 
break the monotony which often causes chil- 
dren to look upon attendance at the Sun- 
day-school as an irksome task. 

2. They increase the attendance and afford 
an opportunity to introduce new scholars. 

3. They are the means of deepening the 
interest and of giving inspiration to the 
school. 

4. They provide for work, giving the mem- 
bers of the school something to do. 

5. They emphasize new lines of w r ork and 



184 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

afford an opportunity to give information 
to those outside of the school. 

6. They help the church and community 
by bringing many under the influence of the 
Sunday-school who are not regular attend- 
ants. 



JffoM? Conducted 

How shall the exercises on special days be 
conducted? That must depend largely on 
the individual school, but the exercises should 
not as a rule be allowed to interrupt the reg- 
ular lesson. 

The most important day in the year is 
Decision Day, in March. Preparation for 
this day should begin weeks in advance, and 
after the day is past the souls who decided 
for Christ should be carefully nurtured and 
the revival work carried on with unabated 
interest. Decision Day therefore really 
marks the center of the season set apart for 
a revival in the Sunday-school. The work 
done should be thorough, and the children 
should be led to renounce their sins and 
really turn to Christ as their Savior. Pas- 
tors and Sunday-school workers should allow 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 185 

nothing to interfere with this special re- 
vival season. 

The first or second Sunday in June has 
been set apart as Children's Day. The ex- 
ercises on this day are usually carried on 
by the children and should be in charge of 
the pastor and superintendent. These ex- 
ercises should be marked by simplicity and 
spirituality. The pastor should always have 
a place on the program. 

Rally Day is the day when every effort is 
put forth to obtain new scholars. The com- 
munity is invited, and a personal invitation 
is sent to former members of the school, and 
to any who appear to be at all interested. 
Those who attend the school on that day are 
urged to become members. 

On all special days new and appropriate 
gongs should be sung, and the Sunday-school 
session should if possible be made better 
than usual. A sufficient number of Sunday- 
school papers should be provided so that all 
visitors may be supplied. 

WRITTEN WORK 

Written work in the Sunday-school is no 
longer in the experimental stage. It is in 



186 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

operation in all first class schools and always 
with good results. Written work may be 
done either at home or in the class. The 
teacher should give advance work to be done 
during the week in writing. Keview questions 
should be furnished in advance and the schol- 
ars required to bring in written answers. The 
ordinary class work is too superficial. When 
we require but little of our scholars they 
learn but little. Written work is a step in 
the right direction and should be intro- 
duced into all Sunday-schools. 

CONVERSIONS AND SPIRITUAL LIFE 

In our efforts in the Sunday-school the 
end in view is twofold. The first great work 
to be done is to lead the child to Christ. He 
should be brought to a realization of his own 
sinfulness and then instructed in the way 
of faith so that he will be enabled to trust 
the Savior for the salvation of his soul. But 
the Sunday-school is also intended to edu- 
cate, establish and build up the young 
mind in divine things. The word of God 
is the text-book, and to bring the child into 
a thorough acquaintance with its precepts 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 187 

is highly important. With this done a foun- 
dation will be laid for a strong Christian 
character. 

There should be frequent conversions in 
every Sunday-school. Our efforts and 
prayers should be the means in the hands of 
God of leading the children to Christ. If 
this is not being done an aggressive move- 
ment should be made. We knew a school 
that seemed to be lacking in this particular 
and a call was made to the teachers to meet 
for half an hour each morning before the 
school opened and pray for the salvation 
of their scholars. They did this and in a 
remarkably short time their prayers began 
to be answered and several conversions took 
place in the school. There is no reason why 
we should not have revivals in our Sunday- 
schools. Children have tender hearts and 
are easily influenced. It ought not to be 
difficult to lead them to Christ and the 
church. The history of revivals shows that 
great spiritual awakenings have often 
started among the children. This being the 
case why should we not see the children 
converted? Let us labor, pray and believe 
to this end. 



XIX. 

THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL ASSOCIATION 

It is very desirable that Sunday-schools 
unite and organize into Sunday-school As- 
sociations. This has been largely accom- 
plished by the International Sunday-school 
Association through the township, county, 
and state associations. But the Sunday- 
school association idea may also be carried 
into the denominational work. The Sunday- 
schools of any particular church, in a given 
district, may unite and organize district as- 
sociations. 

Benefits 

The Sunday-school Association will assist 
in creating an interest in Sunday-school 
work. 

It will promote a spirit of union and har- 
mony among the workers. 

It will be educative. At the conventions 

138 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOBKEBS 189 

which the Association will hold ways and 
means will be discussed and practical Sun 
day-school methods studied. 

It will furnish an opportunity to discover 
undesirable methods. 

Properly conducted it will promote a 
deeper religious life in both the Sunday- 
school and the church. 

Convention Subjects 

We are often asked to suggest subjects 
suitable for use in Sunday-school conven- 
tions, and accordingly have given a few 
which have been used with profit in conven- 
tions which we have attended. Care should 
be taken by those whose duty it is to prepare 
the program to select such subjects as will 
be most helpful to the school and community 
where the convention is held. 

Origin and Purpose of the Sunday-school. 

A Brief History of the Sunday-school 
Movement. 

Proper Organization of the Sunday-school. 

Qualifications of a Successful Superin- 
tendent. 

The Pastor's Place in the Sunday-school. 

Teachers and Teaching. 



190 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

' Qualifications of a Successful Sunday- 
school Teacher. 

The Teacher's Preparation. 

The Teacher's Personality and Influence. 

The Teacher — His Office and Equipment. 

Methods of Teaching. 

How Home Study May Be Secured. 

The Art of Questioning. 

The Art of Gaining Attention. 

The Teacher's Work and Influence Out- 
side of the Class. 

The Sunday-school Teacher a Winner of 
Souls. 

The Teacher's Aim and Reward. 

Christ the Ideal Teacher. 

The Duty of Parents to the Sunday-school. 

The Importance of Early Training. 

The Relation of the Sunday-school to 
the Home. 

The Relation of the Church to the Sunday- 
school. 

The Sunday-school Necessary to the 
Church. 

How the Cooperation of the Church and 
School May Be Secured. 

The Model Sunday-school. 

How to Conduct a Sunday-school. 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 191 

The Well Equipped Sunday-school. 

The Teachers' Meeting — Its Importance, 
Aim and Management. 

Sunday-school Literature. 

The Proper Use of Sunday-school Helps. 

The Normal Training Class. 

The Bible in the School — How to Secure 
Its Proper Place. 

How to Prepare the Sunday-school Lesson. 

The Primary Department. 

The Cradle Roll. 

The Sunday-school Kindergarten — What 
It Is and How Conducted. 

Qualifications of a Successful Primary 
Teacher. 

Object Teaching. 

The Home Department. 

Temperance Work in the Sunday-school. 

What the Sunday-school Should Do for 
Foreign Missions. 

The Relation of the Sunday-school to Re- 
forms. 

Safeguards for Our Children. 

The Claims of Childhood. 

The Benefits of Class Organization. 

Special Days and Their Purpose. 



102 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

How Children's Day Should Be Ob* 
served. 

Children's Meetings and How to Conduct 
Them. 

The Importance of Eequiring Written 
Work of Our Scholars. 

Some Sunday-school Problems and How to 
Solve Them. 

How to Awaken an Interest in a Lifeless 
Sunday-school. 

The Best Means of Increasing the Attend- 
ance. 

How to Interest and Hold the Young Peo- 
ple. 

The Best Means of Interesting Outsiders 
in the Sunday-school. 

House to House Visitation. 

Sunday-school Finances. 

Sunday-school Statistics. 

How to Conduct the Weekly and Quarterly 
Eeviews. 

The Benefits to Be Expected from Sun- 
day-school Conventions and Institutes. 

Is the Sunday-school Accomplishing Its 
Mission? 

Results Which Should Be Expected from 
the Sunday-school. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 193 

Faults and Failures in Sunday-school 
Work. 

Our Supreme Need as Sunday-school 
Workers. 

That Bad Boy— How Lost, How Won. 

How Reverence for God's House May Be 
Secured. 

The Sunday-school a Potent Factor in the 
Development of Character. 

Incentives to Faithfulness in Sunday- 
school Work. 

How Revivals May Be Promoted in the 
Sunday-school. 

Constitution 

The schools desiring to organize for more 
effective work may find the following consti- 
tution helpful. It is merely suggestive and 
can be easily changed so as to meet the 
needs of any church or community. 

PREAMBLE 

Believing the Sunday-school should be the 
nursery of the church, and that in perfecting its 
workings we render a more lasting benefit to the 
scholars and officers, and secure to the church a 



194 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

more fertile field in which to scatter its principles 
and doctrines, thus advancing the kingdom of Christ, 
we have organized this Association and framed 
this Constitution. 

ARTICLE I.— Name 
The name of this organization shall be, 



ARTICLE II. — Officers and Standing Commit- 
tees 

The officers of this Association shall consist of 
a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a 
Treasurer. There shall be an Executive Committee 
of five, a Visiting Committee of five, a Committee 
on Children's Meetings, and a Committee on Sta- 
tistics. 

ARTICLE III. — Duties of Officers 

Sec. 1. It shall be the duty of the President to 
preside over the regular meetings of the Associa- 
tion and to perform all other duties pertaining to 
the office. 

Sec 2. The First Vice-President shall perform 
the duties of the President in his absence. 

Sec 3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to 
keep the records of the Association, to attend to 
all matters of correspondence, and to perform all 
other duties pertaining to the office. 

Sec. 4. The Treasurer shall hold all moneys of 
the Association and shall disburse the same as 
ordered by the Association or the Executive Com- 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 195 

mittee. He shall make a report at each meeting 
of the Association of money on hand, and shall 
present a written report at the Annual Meeting 
showing amount collected and expended during the 
year. 

Sec. 5. The Executive Committee shall consist 
of five members, the President, Secretary, and 
Treasurer of the Association, with two additional 
members who shall be elected by the Association. 
This committee shall hold in trust all property of 
the Association; and shall transact all business of 
the Association in the interval between meetings ; 
and shall prepare the Program for the public meet- 
ings. 

Sec. 6. The Visiting Committee shall visit the 
various schools as often as practicable, shall ob- 
serve the weak as well as the strong points, and 
shall suggest to the Association such action as they 
Relieve will be beneficial. 

ARTICLE IV.— Membership 

All Sunday-school workers present at any Con- 
vention shall be Associate Members, and shall have 
the right to vote and take part in all business of 
the Association. 

All persons who will pledge themselves to an 
active interest in the work of the Association and 
to a regular attendance upon the meetings as far 
as practicable, shall be enrolled as Active Members, 
and a record shall be kept of their attendance. Fail- 
ure to attend three consecutive meetings of thf 
Association shall forfeit Active Membership. 



196 HANDBOOK FOE SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKEBS 

ARTICLE V. — Election of Officees 

All officers shall be elected by ballot, and shall 
hold their office for the term of one year, or until 
their successors are elected. 

ARTICLE VI.— Meetings 

The time and place of meetings if not otherwise 
ordered by the Association, shall be fixed by the 
Executive Committee. 

Meetings shall be held annually ; extra meetings 
may be held whenever it is deemed advisable. 

ARTICLE VII. — Amendments 

This Constitution may be changed at any regular 
meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of 
the members present and voting. 

ORDER OF BUSINESS 

I. — Call to order. 
II. — Devotional Exercises. 
III.— Roll Call. 

IV. — Reading Minutes of previous meeting. 
V. — Business. 
VI. — Literary Program. 
VII. — Unfinished Business. 
VIII. — Reading of Minutes. 
IX. — Adjournment. 



XX. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

The Literature of the Bible 

The Bible contains the best literature of 
our times. 

Professor Moulton, of the University of 
Chicago, says, "In intrinsic worth the Old 
Testament is second to none of the world's 
great literatures. Moreover, it has, in com- 
mon with the literature of Greece and Rome, 
been the main factor in the development of 
our modern prose and poetry. For the Eng- 
lish speaking people, no liberal education 
will be complete in which classical and 
biblical literature do not stand side by side." 
Professor Moulton adds that in the Bible we 
find "essays, epigrams, sonnets, stories, ser- 
mons, songs, philosophical observations and 
treatises, histories and legal documents. 
With the simple exception of humorous liter- 
ature, the Bible presents as varied an in- 

197 



198 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WOEKERS 

tellectual food as can be found in any na- 
tional literature." 

The best critics tell us that no better 
poetry has been written than is found in Job 
and the Psalms. Carlyle says, "I call the 
book of Job, apart from all theories about 
it, one of the grandest things ever written 
with pen." 

In Deuteronomy as well as in the New 
Testament we have exquisite models of the 
best oratory. 

The writings of the prophets considered 
from a literary standpoint are unequaled .by 
anything the world has ever produced. 

The literature of the Bible has been per- 
meating the writings and molding the style 
of leading authors for centuries. Doctor Al- 
bert S. Cook, professor of literature in Yale 
University, says that "it would be worth 
while to read the Bible carefully and re- 
peatedly, if only as a key to modern culture, 
for to those wiio are unfamiliar with its 
teachings and its diction much that is best 
in the English literature of the time is as 
a sealed book." 

Daniel Webster said, "If there be anything 
in my style of thought to be commended, the 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 199 

credit is due to my kind parents in instilling 
into my mind an early love of the Scrip- 
tures." 

We conclude, therefore, that Sir William 
Jones did not overstate the case when he 
said that "the volume contains more sublim- 
ity, purer morality, more important history, 
and finer strains of eloquence, than can be 
collected from all other books, in whatever 
language they may have been written;" or 
Milton, when he eloquently added his tribute 
to the sacred writings in the following em- 
phatic declarations: "There are no songs 
comparable to those of the prophets, and no 
politics like those which the Scriptures 
teach." 

The Bible and Science 

There is no reason to be alarmed about the 
seeming differences between the Bible and 
the statements of some of our modern 
scientists. True science and the Bible can- 
not conflict; they must agree. 

Science has been defined as "classified 
knowledge." The word comes from the Latin 
scientia, knowledge. Man's knowledge at its 
best is faulty. We only know "in part." A 



200 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

recent distinguished author says, "What is 
popularly called science is frequently noth- 
ing more or less than certain theories and 
conclusions based upon man's limited and 
imperfect knowledge of God's perfect laws." 
Herbert Spencer said, "Science is partially 
unified knowledge," while Sir Oliver Lodge, 
one of the leading scientists of the present 
time, said recently, "It may be that science 
only sees one half, because it is blind to the 
other half." It is well known that scientific 
men to-day reject much of the science of 
former years as inaccurate and often non- 
sensical. It is manifest that if the Bible 
had been in accord with former scientific 
theories, which now are admitted to be false, 
it could not agree with the more enlightened 
theories of to-day. And then scientific 
knowledge is still very imperfect, and if the 
Bible agreed with all of the science of to- 
day, when that science is revised and per- 
fected, as it certainly will be, the Bible 
would be found wanting. Stuart Robinson 
says, "The Bible alone of all the books in 
the world, instead of uttering the opinions 
of the successive ages that produced it, has 
been the antagonist of these opinions." 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 201 

Scientists are free to admit that the diffi- 
culties between science and the Bible are 
very rapidly disappearing. Here are the 
utterances of some of the leading scientific 
men on this point: Sir Oliver Lodge: "The 
region of religion and the region of a com- 
pleted science are one." F. Hugh Capron: 
"The fundamental truths of religion are the 
fundamental truths of science;" and again, 
"The unanimity between religion and science 
is exact." Doctor Chiene: "There can be no 
antagonism between true science and true 
religion ; they clash only when they are false. 
Their present antagonism is only another 
word for our ignorance." 

Those who are credulous enough to be- 
lieve the Bible to be the divinely inspired 
word of God, are confident that when the 
truth is fully known it will be seen that 
there is perfect accord between God's law r s 
and operations in nature and His revealed 
word to man, for He cannot contradict Him- 
self. In His written word He has told us 
a little about the w T orld in which we live 
as well as the way we came to be in it, and 
if we are wise we will accept His statements 
as conclusive . 



202 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

Be Ready to Explain Difficult Passages 

There are passages and points in the Bible 
which are generally recognized as being 
somewhat difficult of explanation. But 
these need not surprise us nor cause the 
least alarm. A careful study will usually 
lead to a satisfactory explanation. The 
grand old Book has stood many attacks and 
it will continue to stand them unharmed. 
But we must not ignore the difficulties. 
Many of them, to be sure, are only imaginary. 
Tholuck says: "The reason why we find so 
many dark places in the Bible is, for the 
most part, because there are so many darte: 
places in our hearts." But still there are 
those who hesitate about accepting the Bible 
as the inspired word of God because of some 
difficulty which to them appears to be 
serious. Of course we cannot be expected 
to stop to answer every whimsical objection 
that the caviler may bring, but honest diffi- 
culties ought to be met. The seemingly dif- 
ficult passages and points can be satis- 
factorily explained to the candid mind, and 
it is our duty to search out the truth re- 
specting them and be ready at all proper 
times to answer the objector. 



HANDBOOK FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 203 

Pointers 

The Sunday-school is important to the 
child, the church, the home, the community. 

The teacher who undertakes to tell all he 
knows will tell many things he does not 
know\ Trumbull says w^e must know ten 
times as much as we expect to teach. 

No teacher can begin studying a lesson on 
Saturday night and have it ready on Sunday 
morning. 

A good superintendent is a Christian, has 
good educational qualifications, loves chil- 
dren and knows how to handle them, has 
his heart in the work. 

How may I succeed in Sunday-school 
work? 

1. By having a love for the w r ork. 

2. By making thorough preparation. 

3. By being in earnest. 

4. By being faithful. 

5. By having faith in God. 



204 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

The following acrostic is well worth pre- 
serving; the author is unknown. 

The Teacher's P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L-I-T-Y: 

Pure life. 

Earnestness. 

Resources. 

Spirituality. 

Outgrowth. 

Needs. 

Accuracy. 

Loving disposition. 

Industry. 

Tact. 

Yearning for souls. 

The Sunday-school is an educator to the 
home, a feeder of the church, a moral power 
in the community. It is our duty to attend 
it, to work for it, to support it. 

The way to get others interested is to 
keep interested ourselves. 

Every Sunday-school Association should 
have a worker's Sunday-school circulating 
library. 



HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 205 

The principle of repetition is important. 
Each lesson should be reviewed, sometimes 
again and again. If the truth is retained by 
the ordinary scholar it will be by these fre- 
quent reviews. 

The second quarterly temperance Sunday 
of each year, usually in June, should be ob- 
served as Anti-Cigarette Day. Upon this 
day the evils resulting from the cigarette 
should be explained and a special effort 
made to obtain pledges against its use. 

World's Temperance Sunday, in Novem- 
ber, should be made the greatest temperance 
day of the year. It should be the occasion 
of a general rally in the community and a 
time when much interest is created in the 
temperance cause. Do not fail to push the 
pledge-signing; it will work wonders in sav- 
ing the boys. Teach the primary classes to 
repeat the following pledge: 

"God gave me this good body, 
To grow both strong and tall, 
Tobacco helps to spoil it, 
And so does Alcohol. 
Into my mouth they shall not go; 
When tempted, I will answer, 'No !' " 



206 HANDBOOK FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS 

What to teach: 1. What the text says— i 
the primary meaning of the words. 2. What 
it means — note time, place, persons, giving 
the connection and explaining difficult pas- 
sages. 3. What it teaches — doctrine, prac- 
tical truth, application. 

How to teach: 1. The manner should be' 
earnest, patient, forceful. 2. The method 
should be original, thought out, definite, per- 
sonal, clear. 3. Cooperation should be se- 
cured. (1) Gain attention through interest 
rather than by compulsion; (2) keep in sym- 
pathy with the scholar; (3) keep the scholar 
employed; (4) adapt the truths taught to 
the age, knowledge and spiritual needs of 
the scholar. 

All Sunday-school workers need love, 
faith, tact, earnestness, patience, a thorough 
preparation, spiritual power, courage and 
perseverance. All can do something; all 
have at least one talent. You should be a 
worker. 



NOV 18 SQ^7 



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